Mortonia scabrella
A desert-dwelling evergreen shrub in the genus Mortonia of the Celastraceae family, native to the American Southwest and northern Mexico, reaching about 1.2–2.5 m tall with stiff elliptic leaves, small white flowers from spring through fall, and greenish, indehiscent capsule-like fruits 3.5–5 mm long.
Common Names
Rio Grande Saddlebush
Summary
Rio Grande saddlebush is a perennial evergreen shrub native to the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, typically growing to about 2–2.5 m tall. It forms erect, gray, scabrous, brittle branches; leaves crowded along stiff upright stems, alternate and oval to elliptic, thick and leathery with a sandpapery texture. Creamy-white flowers cluster near branch tips, with small petals, and the fruits are small, dry, indehiscent capsules about 3.5–5 mm long containing a single seed per locule.
Geographic distribution includes Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico, with habitats on rocky slopes and ridges on limestone or calcareous substrates at elevations roughly 300–2000 m; the species occurs in desert or dry shrubland biomes and is cultivated in contexts such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
8 ft-8 ft 2 in
Spread
6.5 feet
Soil Type
Calcareous (limestone) soils.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soils
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Spring (March-June)
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- A.Gray
- Publication
- Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 28 (1853)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Celastrales
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Genus
- Mortonia