toyon

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Toyon
Toyon bush in habitat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Rosidae (unranked): Eurosids I Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae[1] Subfamily: Maloideae or Spiraeoideae[2] Genus: Heteromeles Species: H. arbutifolia
Binomial name
Heteromeles arbutifolia (Lindl.) M.Roem.[3]
Synonyms
Heteromeles salicifolia Photinia arbutifolia Lindl.

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia, (pronounced /ˌhɛtɨrɵˈmiːliːz ɑrˌbjuːtɨˈfoʊliə/;^[4] more commonly pronounced /hɛtəˈrɒməliːz/ by California botanists) is a common perennial shrub native to California, USA and the extreme northwest of Mexico, from northern California to northern Baja California. It is the sole species of Heteromeles, but is closely related to the Asian genus Photinia, in which it is included by some botanists (it was originally described in that genus).

Fruiting branch

Toyon is a prominent component of the coastal sage scrub plant community, and is a part of drought-adapted chaparral and mixed oak woodland habitats.^[5] It is also known by the common names Christmas berry and California holly.

Toyon typically grows from 2-5 m (rarely up 10 m in shaded conditions) and has a rounded to irregular top. Its leaves are evergreen, alternate, sharply toothed, have short petioles, and are 5-10 cm in length and 2-4 cm wide. In the early summer it produces small white flowers 6-10 mm diameter, in dense terminal corymbs. The five petals are rounded. They are visited by butterflies, and have a mild, hawthorn-like scent. The fruit is a small pome, 5-10 mm across, bright red and berry-like, produced in large quantities, maturing in the fall and persisting well into the winter. The fruit are consumed by birds, including mockingbirds, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, as well as mammals including coyote and bear. The seeds are dispersed by such wildlife.

Traditional uses

The berries provided food for local Native American tribes, such as Chumash, Tongva, and Tataviam. Toyon berries are acidic and astringent, and contain a small amount of cyanogenic glycosides, which break down into hydrocyanic acid on digestion. This is removed by mild cooking.

Some berries, though mealy, astringent and acid when raw, were eaten fresh, or mashed into water to make a beverage. Most were dried and stored, then later cooked into porridge or pancakes. Later settlers added sugar to make custard and wine.

The berries also can be made into a jelly. Native Americans also made a tea from the leaves as a stomach remedy; they also used the leaves and berries for dyes, and the very hard, close-grained wood for various purposes.

Cultivation

Toyon can be grown in domestic gardens in well drained soil, and is cultivated as an ornamental plant as far north as Southern England. It can survive temperatures as low as -12°C^{[citation needed]}. The bush is handsome all year round and the bright red berries in winter are a special reward (even if birds eat them all the first day they ripen). It is susceptible to fireblight^{[citation needed]}. It survives on little water, making it suitable for xeriscape gardening, and is less of a fire hazard than some chaparral plants^{[citation needed]}.

Legislation

In the 1920s, collecting toyon branches for Christmas became so popular in Los Angeles, California that the State of California passed a law forbidding collecting on public land^{[citation needed]}. Some^{[weasel words]} believe that Hollywood, California derives its name from the numerous "California Holly" bushes which cover the Hollywood Hills, but the origin of Hollywood's name cannot be confirmed.

References

• Jepson Flora Project (1993) Heteromeles arbutifolia, University of California, Berkeley
• Germplasm Resources Information Network (1910) Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 6:381.
• C. Michael Hogan (2008) Toyon: Heteromeles arbutifolia, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg [1]
• Photos of Toyon in flower and fruit

Line notes

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