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Taxon  Report  
Physocarpus alternans  (M. E. Jones) J. T. Howell
Dwarf ninebark,   Nevada ninebark
Physocarpus alternans is a shrub that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
California Rare Plant Rank: 2B.3 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA; common elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~62 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Physocarpus
Family: Rosaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JEFPhysocarpus alternans ssp. annulatus
JEFPhysocarpus alternans ssp. panamintensis
Information about  Physocarpus alternans from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PHAL7)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Description: Physocarpus alternans also known as dwarf ninebark and Nevada ninebark is a flowering shrub native to east California, currently found throughout Western North America.[1] It was first described by J.T.Howell in 1931. It prefers growing on dry, rocky slopes, grows in pinyon and juniper shrublands, also found near limestone outcrops. It has been found to grown at elevations of 1800 to 3100 m above sea level.[2] Aside from the native California specimens have been collected in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Colorado.[3] It flowers in June and July, producing small, white flowers. Description Physocarpus alternans grows to a height of 50 to 150 cm. It forms leaves with 3 to 7 shallow lobes. Leaves possess small, rounded teeth along the margin. Flowers, densely hairy, form in bunches of up to around ten. The hypanthium measures 1.7 to 3 mm in length and up to 3.2 to 5 mm in diameter at the rim. Petals are 2.5 to 3 mm long. The longest filaments measure up to 1.3 to 2.5 mm in length. Fruit are 3.5 to 4 mm in diameter, densely hairy.[2] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/17/2024).