holly-leaf cherry
Prunus ilicifolia

Family: Rosaceae.

Type: Evergreen shrub to small tree.

Branching: Alternate.

Leaves: Shiny green and heavily toothed, and strongly curved under.

Twig: All cherries have a smell of cyanide (almonds) in their twig; scratch the twig in a section of new growth, and the smell can be used to distinguish clearly between cherries and oaks.

Fruit & Flower: Fruit is, as a cherry, a drupe, with a bright red color (less purple than the cherry we eat).

Miscellaneous: Holly is genus Ilex, so "illicifolia" literally means holly-leaved. The holly-leaf cherry is a true cherry. It is found in chaparral in moister areas such as drainages, and in woodlands (the last four photos here are from Jasper Ridge, on a sun-exposed ridge near a creek).





All photos and text ©2008 Ben Haller. Permission is granted to use and reproduce these photos for any non-commercial or non-profit use as long as this original copyright notice is retained.