nuttallii – refers to Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859), American ornithologist and artist

Native range: US West cost & Idaho

Leaves:

• opposite
• simple
• elliptic to obovate
• 3-5” long, 1.5-3” wide
• short acuminate apex
• 5-6 vein pairs (arcuate)
• 1/4-1/2” petiole
• top of leaves dark green

Flowers:

• dense head of purple-green flowers
• 3/4” across
• 4-5 (~6) bracts
  • oval to obovate, pointed
  • 1.5-3” long
  • 1-3” wide
  • white/cream

Fruit:

• drupe
• orange to red
• 1/3” long
• clusters

Other characteristics:

• deciduous tree to 60 ft. w/ many branches
• fall color – red-pink
• may have a second flush of flowers in late summer
• bark is gray and smooth

Ecology & Adaptations:

• moist but well-drained soils, on gentle slopes, predominantly occurring below 5,000 ft. (1,524 m.)
• low frost tolerance, high flood tolerance & moderate shade tolerance → common along stream banks in low-elevation (below 5,000 ft.) coniferous, hardwood, and mixed coastal forests in temperate climates
• populations most abundant in subcanopy of Douglas-fir forests of the Puget Sound basin and redwood forests of CA
• drought tolerant – deep taproot
• shade tolerant:
  • even at 1/3 full sunlight, maintains max. photosynthetic potential
  • branches are self-shading
    • leaf petioles orient downward allowing leaves to rest on and shade branches
  • trunk can be damaged by sunlight, but established plants may initiate shoot growth from crown to shade and protect the exposed trunk
  • seedlings germinate better in shaded conditions
• fire tolerant – re-sprouts from root crown and/or epicormic branching can occur
• pollination by insects
• sexual reproduction – often flowers twice per season
• seed dispersal – fruit are eaten by birds, such as pileated woodpeckers, and small mammals, such as deer mice and red tree voles
• vulnerable to anthracnose, a nonnative fungal disease caused by Discula spp.