Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Chamaebatia australis is a species of aromatic evergreen shrub in the rose family known by the common names southern mountain misery and southern bearclover. This uncommon shrub is native to the chaparral slopes of southern California and northern Baja California. It has very dark bark, and is covered in a foliage of 2-pinnate leaves, meaning leaves which are made up of small leaflets which are further divided themselves into tiny leaflets, giving the foliage a fernlike appearance. Each leaf is a gland-dotted frond of 3 to 8 centimeters in length. The flowers are roselike with small rounded white petals and yellow centers filled with many stamens. The fruit is a leathery achene.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

10 ft Tall

Dormancy

Evergreen

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Color

Yellow, White

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade, Deep Shade

Water

Low

Sunset Zones

7, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Site type

Dry slopes, usually north facing

Plant communities

Chaparral