Plants of the Bible: Common Fig (Ficus carica)
Karen Native to the Middle East and Asia, this large shrub or small tree is a member of the mulberry family, Moraceae, that also includes banyan, breadfruit, and Osage-orange. It grows…
Plant Profile : Mountain Mahogany (Cerocarpus montanus)
Also known as alder-leaf mountain-mahogany, alder-leaf cercocarpus, and true mountain-mahogany, this mostly deciduous long lived shrub or small tree grows in chaparral scrub, and on mesas and the lower foothills…
Plant Profile: Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Common hawthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub or small tree and a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes cherry, lady’s mantle and almond. It is native to…
Plant Profile: Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima)
Native to Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, tamarisk is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing 6-15’ tall with a deep root system, smooth reddish brown bark and small…
Plant Profile: Smallflower Tamarisk (Tamarix parviflora)
Smallflower tamarisk is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to southeastern Europe but has become as an introduced species in the US has become invasive in western North America.…
Plant Profile: Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
Common buckthorn is a suckering deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 25’ tall and a member of the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae that also includes wild lilacs (Ceanothus) It…
Plant Profile: Desert Olive (Forestiera pubescens var. pubescens aka F. neomexicana)
Desert olive, also known as stretchberry, elbowbush, spring goldengrow, Texas forsythia, and downy forestier, is a thicket-forming deciduous shrub or small tree is native to desert slopes, canyons, woodland edges…
Plant Profile: Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Buttonbush, also called honey-bells and button-willow, is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to wetlands such as swamps, marshes, riverbanks, and floodplains from New Brunswick and Minnesota south to…
Plant Profile: Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Also known as Japanese silverberry, Russian olive is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing 10-16’ tall and is a member of the oleaster family, Elaeagnaceae, that also includes buffalo…
Plant Profile: American Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus)
American smoke tree is a deciduous large shrub or small tree native to Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, and Tennessee where it grows in woodland edges, clearings, glades, and rock…