Oemleria
Oemleria cerasiformis, also known as the Osoberry and Indian Plum, is the sole species in genus Oemleria. It is a shrub native to the Pacific coast and ranges of North America, from British Columbia, Canada to Santa Barbara County, California, U.S.A.[2] It is among the first plants to leaf out and flowers early in the spring. It reaches a height of 1.5–5 m and has lance-shaped leaves 5–12 cm long. Native Americans eat them, make tea of the bark, and chew its twigs to use as a mild anesthetic and aphrodisiac.[3]
| character |
description[4] |
| Leaf |
Alternate, simple, deciduous; generally elliptical or oblong, 2 to 5 inches long, light green and smooth above and paler below; margins are entire to wavy; fresh foliage smells and may taste like cucumber. Among the first plant to leaf-out in the spring. |
| Flower |
Dioecious; whitish-green, bell-shaped, often appear in late winter before the leaves. About 1 cm across. |
| Fruit |
Ovoid drupes up to 1/2 inch long, orange or yellow when young but blue-black when mature; borne on a red stem. Bitter taste. |
| Twig |
Slender, green turning to reddish brown, pith chambered, conspicuous orange lenticles. |
| Bark |
Smooth, reddish brown to dark gray. |
| Form |
An erect, loosely branched shrub reaching 15 feet. |
Synonyms
- Osmaronia (Greene)
- Nuttallia (Torr. & A.Gray)
Images
References
- ^ Potter, D.; Eriksson, T.; Evans, R.C.; Oh, S.H.; Smedmark, J.E.E.; Morgan, D.R.; Kerr, M.; Robertson, K.R.; Arsenault, M.P.; Dickinson, T.A.; Campbell, C.S. (2007). Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 266(1–2): 5–43.
- ^ ""USDA PLANTS Profile: Oemleria cerasiformis". http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OECE.
- ^ Pojar, Jim; Andy MacKinnon (2004). Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Lone Pine Publishing. pp. 72. ISBN 978-1551055305.
- ^ ""Oemleria cerasiformis Fact Sheet". http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=220.
External links