California adolphia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids California adolphia |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Adolphia
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| Species: |
californica
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The California adolphia (also called California prickbush or spineshrub) is a type of flowering shrub. It belongs to the buckthorn family, known as Rhamnaceae. Its scientific name is Adolphia californica.
Where It Grows
This shrub is native to parts of Southern California and northwestern Baja California. You can find it in coastal areas and the foothills of the Peninsular Ranges.
It likes to grow in plant communities called chaparral and coastal sage scrub. It usually lives in places below 400 meters (about 1,300 feet) in height.
What It Looks Like
The California adolphia is a branching shrub. It usually grows to be less than 1 meter (about 3 feet) tall.
Its twigs are thick and dark green. They can be smooth or a bit fuzzy. These stiff twigs also have sharp thorns! The leaves are very few and small, less than a centimeter long. Each leaf is oval-shaped with a pointed or rounded tip.
Flowers and Fruit
This shrub blooms a lot from December to April. Its flowers grow in clusters along all the branches. Each flower looks like a star. It has five pointed, cream-colored sepals. These are like small leaves that protect the flower. Between the sepals are five tiny, spoon-shaped, cream-colored petals.
The fruit is a small, round capsule. It is about half a centimeter wide.
Conservation Status
In California, the California adolphia is a Critically endangered species. This means it is in serious danger of disappearing. The California Native Plant Society lists it as rare and endangered.
It faces several threats that make it hard for the plant to survive. These include cities growing, new roads being built, and non-native plants taking over its habitat. Animals grazing (eating) the plants also cause harm.
