Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus, the Santa Catalina Island Ironwood, is endemic to Santa Catalina Island, one of the Channel Islands in Southern California. The trees occur in small groves, with all trunks within a grove being clones representing a single genetic individual. There are only around 110 groves of Catalina ironwood remaining.

It is rare in cultivation, while the other Island Ironwood subspecies, Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius, the Santa Cruz Island Ironwood, is more readily available and cultivated horticulturally. It is endemic to three of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and San Clemente Island.

Plant type

Tree

Form

Upright

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Water

Low

Site type

The groves of Santa Catalina Island Ironwood are primarily found on the island's cool north-facing coastal slopes, often along small faults where they have greater access to water, and on sites with cold-air drainage. They are found in the Mixed Evergreen Forest, Foothill Woodland, and Chaparral plant communities of Catalina Island.