prairie shrub
Hollyleaf cherry
Prunus ilicifolia
Native to California
Coast Ranges from Napa county, south to southern California
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry Moisture preference
- Zones n/a Cold to heat range
- Bloom Mar–May Flowering time
- Height up to 50 ft to 15.2 m
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A prairie shrub for full sun and lean, dry soil. At up to 50 ft, it needs room in meadows and sunny borders.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Pollinators & wildlife
- Butterflies Gulf Fritillary
also Gray Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot, Marine Blue +4 more
California Hairstreak, Euphydryas chalcedona chalcedona, Limenitis bredowii californica, Strymon saepium - Flower flies Margined Calligrapher also Oblique Streaktail, Six-spotted Bromeliad Fly, Ceriana tridens
- Bees Yellow-faced Bumble Bee also Western Honey Bee, Valley Carpenter Bee
- Also visited by
- Beetles:
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle, Spotted Cucumber Beetle +1 more
Callimoxys fuscipennis - Moths: Alfalfa Looper
- Birds: Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Hummingbirds: Allen's Hummingbird
- Beetles:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Canadian tiger swallowtailcaterpillar host
- Coral hairstreakcaterpillar host
- Eastern tiger swallowtailcaterpillar host
- Pale swallowtailcaterpillar host
- Red-spotted purplecaterpillar host
- Western tiger swallowtailcaterpillar host
- Common buckeyenectar
- Gulf fritillarynectar
- Hedgerow hairstreaknectar
- Marine bluenectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- CaliforniaUnited States (1): CA. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Coast Ranges from Napa county, south to southern CaliforniaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Soil
- Dry, rocky soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 50 ft (to 15.2 m)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Mar–MayWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.