PLANT: Openly branched, 1-2(-2.5) m tall, 1-1.5 m wide.

STEMS: several, bark light gray to whitish; primary lateral branches spreading to divergent; secondary lateral branches conspicuous as thorns.

LEAVES: obovate to oblanceolate, 8-16 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, acute to mucronate, bright green, slightly but distinctly wrinkled above, sparsely hispidulous, veins thin and inconspicuous; base acute.

INFLORESCENCE: borne on suppressed secondary shoots, usually 1-2 flowers reaching maturity per fascicle.

FLOWERS: sessile, or with pedicels less than 0.5 mm; sepals persistent.

FRUIT: not distinctly bitter, with the stone distinctly longer than wide, 5-7 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, brown to tan.

NOTES: Dry slopes, drainages, canyons: s Cochise, s Santa Cruz, and Pima cos. (Baboquivari Mountains and Chimena Canyon); 1200-1500 m (4000-5000 ft); flowering Jul-Sep; AZ, NM, n Mex.

REFERENCES: Kyle Christie, Michael Currie, Laura Smith Davis, Mar-Elise Hill, Suzanne Neal, and Tina Ayers, 2006 Vascular Plants of Arizona: Rhamnaceae. CANOTIA 2(1): 23-46.

Common Name: Correll's snakewood

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Shrub

General: Shrubs or small trees, openly branched, 1-2 m tall, 1-1.5 m wide. Several stems, bark light gray to whitish, primary lateral branches spreading to divergent, secondary lateral branches thorn-like.

Leaves: Obovate, 8-16 mm long, 4-6 mm wide, acute to mucronate, bright green, sparsely hispidulous; veins inconspicuous.

Flowers: Borne on delicate elongate, secondary shoots; sessile or with pedicels less than 0.5 mm long.

Fruits: Drupe with stone distinctly longer than wide, 5-7 mm long, 3-5 mm wide.

Ecology: Found on dry slopes, drainages, canyons, from 4,000-5,000 ft (1219-1524 m); flowers July-September.

Distribution: AZ, NM; south to n MEX.

Notes: Typically lumped with C. mexicana in AZ. Distinguished by being a shrub with thorns from branches, larger leaves than other Condalia (>4mm wide) with underside veins inconpicuous; and especially the sessile flowers followed by blue berries (other members have pedicels). Previous identifications and floras suggested that both C. correllii and C. mexicana were found in Arizona. Christie et al. 2006 combined the two taxa only citing C. correllii for the state.

Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, although the berries of other species in the genus are eaten.

Etymology: Condalia is named after Antonio Condal, and 18th century Spanish physican and botanist, mexicana refers to the type specimen being from Mexico. 

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015