Sandpaper Bush
Mortonia scabrella, Staff Vine Or Bittersweet Family ( Celastraceae ), Sandpaper Bush. Also called; Rio Grande Saddlebush, Utah Mortonia.
Mortonia scabrella is a scabrous evergreen perennial shrub about 4 - 6 feet tall.
Height: Up To About 4 - 6 feet tall.
Flowers: White, about 1/4 inch wide and about 1/2 inch long, 5 - petaled flowers clustered on an inflorescence about 2 to 4 inches long with crowded bracteate racemes or raceme-like thyrses terminating on some of the branches.
Blooming Time: April - June.
Fruit: Small, dry, oblong, cylindric, a light brown to light green color, capsule-like but indehiscent.
Leaves: Dull green, oval, leathery, alternate, ascending, and rough-textured, with a sandpaper feel.
Found: Found native in southwestern USA.
Elevation: 2,953 and 6,890 Feet.
Habitat: Joshua Tree Woodlands, Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken April 19, 2008. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
