Elbowbush (Forestiera pubescens)
Elbowbush (Forestiera pubescens)
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Forestiera pubescens Nutt.
Elbowbush, Stretchberry, Spring Herald, Desert Olive, Tanglewood, Devil's Elbow, Spring Goldenglow, New Mexico Privet, Texas Forsythia
Oleaceae (Olive Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: FOPU2
Shrub with opposite, or nearly opposite, twigs, sometimes on long, arched branches. Common in open woodlands, brushy areas, and near streams. Leaves opposite, with a short petiole; blades up to 1-1/4 inches long, broadly ovate to narrower, with a rounded or pointed tip, tapering or rounded at the base, and with fine toothed margins. Flowers not showy, yellow, without petals, borne in small clusters on bare twigs in February and March, male and female on separate bushes. Fruit (on female bushes) fleshy, dark blue, with a lighter bloom easily rubbed off, 1/4 inch in diameter and slightly longer than wide.
Plant Characteristics
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Dioecious
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: Up to about 15 feet tall, often shorter.
Autumn Foliage: yes
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar
Distribution
USA: AZ , CA , CO , NM , NV , OK , TX , UT
Native Distribution: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma south through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to Chihuahua.
Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low , MediumLight Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Drought Tolerance: Medium , High
Conditions Comments: Locally known as elbow-bush, so named because it typically branches at right angles. Early flowering period provides nectar for early spring butterflies, particularly small butterflies such as hairstreaks. Foliage turns chartreuse yellow in fall.
Benefit
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Hairstreaks
Nectar Source: yes
Image Information
Photographer: Marcus, Joseph A.City: Austin
County: Travis
State: TX
Location Notes: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Accession date: 2003-09-15
Filename: 6151_IMG00450.JPG
Slide Index: Not Applicable
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Collection: Wildflower Center Digital Library
Original Format: Digital
Orientation: Landscape
Shot: Flower(s)
Date Taken: 2003
NPIN Image Id: 12351
