Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Cneoridium is a monotypic genus in the Rutaceae (citrus family) which contains the single species Cneoridium dumosum, known by the common name Bushrue. This is an aromatic is shrub native to the coastal bluffs of southern California and Baja California. This highly-branched shrub may exceed a meter in height and sprawl about as wide. Its twigs are covered in small linear green leaves and flowers in clusters of one to three. Each flower is just over a centimeter wide with four or five rounded white petals and eight yellow-anthered white stamens. The bunching fruits are round reddish-green berries about half a centimeter wide covered in a thin peel which is gland-pitted like that of a common citrus fruit. Each berry contains one or two spherical seeds. May cause dermatitis in some people so use with caution. In the summer, the leaves of the plant turn an attractive golden color.

This is a tough and easy to grow plant. Amazingly drought tolerant but still tolerates occasional summer water better than most plants. It prefers full sun, and tolerates a wide variety of soil types. In the summer, its leaves turn an attractive golden color, and will green back up after the rainy season begins.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

3 - 5 ft Tall
3 - 5 ft Wide

Form

Mounding

Growth rate

Moderate, Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen, Summer Semi-deciduous

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

White, Yellow

Flowering season

Winter, Spring

Special uses

Bank stabilization, Groundcover

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Often but not always found on eroded gabbro or sandstone soils.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Propagation

For propagating by seed: 1-2 mos. stratification. For propagating from cuttings: Take ~4 inch cuttings in winter or spring from stems at least 1 year old. Remove foliage from bottom half of stem and pre-treat with a rooting compound. Place stems in mix of half peat and half moist pearlite. Water mixture and put in a plastic bag that is not entirely sealed. Place in a warm spot but not in direct sunlight. Roots should appear within 30 days.

Sunset Zones

8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Mesas, bluffs, canyons and marine terraces of San Diego and Orange Counties as well as Baja California, Mexico, where it is a component of Southern Maritime Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, or Maritime Succulent Scrub.

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Scrub, Lowland Chaparral, Maritime Desert Scrub, Southern Coastal Scrub

Caterpillars
Butterflies