Garrya elliptica

Valued for its long male catkins which decorate it in winter, thick leathery leaves are glossy on top and wooly below, ours are unsexed seedlings. S/M-D-GDr

An evergreen shrub to small tree to 12'x12' that responds well to pruning. A prolific bloomer with yellow-pink-cream colored male catkins that dangle 12" or more from the ends of the branches in winter to early spring, making a spectacular show and turning gray as they age. The name silk tassel describes these catkins. Adapted to coastal conditions, this plant likes sun near the coast, part shade inland with light to moderate water. Excellent with redwoods or against a red brick wall or walk. Cultivars such as this are horticultural selections and hybrids, not part of the native ecology but work beautifully in the garden. Attracts beneficial insects, bees, provides bird habitat, and provides seed and fruit for birds. Horticultural selection of Garrya elliptica: The origin is from cuttings (1952) by James Roof, Prairie Creek State Park, Humboldt Co.; introduced into the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in 1955.

Evergreen shrub or small tree native to the chaparral and mixed evergreen forest plant communities. Mature plants reach anywhere from 8-25' and bear dark green, leathery leaves with felted or woolly undersides and distinctly wavy margins. Showy catkins appear in winter and spring, and hang like decorative tassels from the outstretched branches. Young plants can be trained as espaliers and will grow to resemble wisteria. Plant in well-drained soils in a sunny or lightly shaded position and provide moderate to occasional water once established. Plants thrive in coastal areas. Hardy to 10F. Coast Ranges from southern Oregon to San Luis Obispo County, California.

Garrya is a genus of about 18 species native to the westeren U.S., Mexico, Guatemala and islands in the Caribbean. They have their own family, Garryaceae, and used to be included in the same order as the dogwoods, but have now been placed in a new order, Garryales. The species in Garrya are evergreen wind-pollinated shrubs with leathery oval leaves. The species most commonly cultivated in California gardens is Garrya elliptica, native to California’s Coast Ranges and northward into Oregon. Garrya elliptica is a handsome shrub which can attain a height of 10 feet or more. Its leaves are deep green on the upper side, with wavy margins, and felted pale green on the undersides. It is notable for its attractive pendulous catkin-like inflorescences in winter, which give rise to its common name of “silk tassel”. Like all species of Garrya, G. elliptica is dioecious (with separate male and female plants). The inflorescences on male plants are especially attractive, since they are longer and hang more loosely, so that they move gracefully in a breeze. When the light catches them in the early morning or in the evening, they glow like icicles. Their color is white to yellowish-white or greenish-white. The pale green female catkins are shorter and stiffer, but they produce attractive dark purple grape-like clusters of fruit which persist over the summer months. At the Ruth Bancroft Garden, we have the male cultivar ‘James Roof’, notable for its extra-long flower clusters, which can be nearly a foot long (30 cm). It makes a beautiful display in January and February.