| Hollyleaf Cherry |
| Prunus ilicifolia |
| Family: Rosaceae (Rose) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 1/4", type: 5 petals |
Hollyleaf Cherry has a complex flower, about 1/4" diameter. A yellow bowl holds the ovary and pistil. The bowl's white rim holds twenty to thirty long white stamens with bright yellow anthers. Behind the stamens are five short white petals.
Each flower stalk holds fifteen of more buds on short stems. This raceme blooms from the base to the tip. The flowers produce a dark fruit, 1/2–1 inch, with little pulp and a poisonous [cyanide] seed.
Habit:
Hollyleaf Cherry is a perennial shrub or small tree. It has large shiny evergreen leaves with spiny teeth.
Native Americans used Hollyleaf Cherry for food, drink, and medicine, mindful of the risk. They pruned small trees to encourage straighter branches for bows, etc.
Observations:
The only specimen I've seen in the Reserve grows along the street one block from Cabrillo HS, so its probably introduced by gardeners.