Plant: shrub
Leaves: 2-6.5 cm long, 0.7-2.7(-3.6) cm wide, rarely yellowish, glabrous above, glabrous to sparsely pubescent with appressed trichomes below, the margin irregularly papillate-denticulate
INFLORESCENCE: 3-4.5(-7) cm long, loose, the rachis clearly visible; bracts near midpoint not forming conspicuous cupules, those of staminate flowers triangular to to oblanceolate, 2.5-5 mm long, those near midpoint connate 25-60% their length; bracts of pistillate flowers triangular-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2.5-14 mm long, those near midpoint of inflorescence connate, 20% their length; flowers 1 per bract
Flowers: small and reduced; STAMINATE FLOWERS: pedicellate, the perianth segments 4, apically connate, the stamens 4, distinct, alternating with perianth segments, the anthers 2-celled, anthers 1-2 mm long; PISTILLATE FLOWERS: sessile to subsessile, the perianth absent or vestigial, the ovary inferior, 1-locular, the styles 2, persistent, styles 1-2 mm long
Fruit: berry-like, globose, dark blue-black to whitish gray at maturity, becoming brittle when dry, 6-9 mm diam., glabrous or sparsely pubescent; SEEDS usually 2, subellipsoid, dark
Misc: Desert scrub, chaparral, oak woodland, and pine-oak forest; 1200-2100 m (3900-6900 ft); Mar-Aug
REFERENCES: Puente, Raul, and Thomas F. Daniel. 2001. Garryaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1).
Common Name: Wright's silktassel
Duration: Perennial
Nativity: Native
Lifeform: Shrub
General: Evergreen shrubs to 3 m tall; bark reddish-brown with age; branches somewhat quadrangular (square-ish) in cross section.
Leaves: Opposite, on short petioles about 5 mm long; blades ovate to suborbicular, 2-6 cm long, often yellow-green; upper surface glabrous and lower surface glabrous to sparsely pubescent with appressed hairs; margins with tiny, irregular teeth.
Flowers: Male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious); male and female flowers small, lacking petals, arranged in pendant catkins 3-5 mm long; each flower subtended by a pair of bracts that are fused to each other at the base.
Fruits: Berries globose, 6-9 mm diameter, purple to black, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Ecology: Found in desert scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands and pine-oak forests from 3,500-7,000 ft (1067-2134 m); flowers March-August.
Distribution: AZ, NM, s TX; south to c MEX.
Notes: Distinguished as being a medium-large erect shrub with gray-green, acute-tipped oval-shaped leaves with conspicuous whitish veins and papillate margins with very small teeth; its pubescent dangling inflorescences (providing the source for its common name "silk-tassel;" and dark blue-purple berries. Distinguish from other species of Garrya based on the glabrous or mostly glabrous leaves (G. flavescens and G. ovata have woolly-pubescent leaves.)
Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genus have uses.
Etymology: Garrya is named for Nicholas Garry (1782-1856), an assistant to the Hudson's Bay Company explorations of the Northwest; wrightii honors the American botanical collector Charles Wright (1811-1885).
Synonyms: None
Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015, AHazelton 2017
