PLANTS | ANIMALS | ECOLOGY | FUNGI | GEOLOGY | GARDENING | TOOLS
Excerpts from Jim Conrad's
Naturalist Newsletter
from the the August 16, 2009 Newsletter, reporting on a visit to Rogue River National Forest in southwestern Oregon:
BUSH CHINKAPIN
Last week I introduced you to the Golden Chinkapin, Chrysolepis chrysophylla, whose spiky fruits are shown at http://www.backyardnature.net/n/w/goldchnk.htm.
Along the Upper Rogue River Trail the Bush Chinkapin, CHRYSOLEPIS SEMPERVIRENS was fruiting, as shown above.
While Golden Chinkapins grow into large trees, the Bush Chinkapin in that picture, despite being loaded with burry fruits, was no more than a foot tall. Rarely the species can grow to seven feet. It was fairly common in the forest understory on rocky outcrops along the Rogue.
Bush Chinkapins occur naturally only in southwestern Oregon, California and extreme western Nevada.