Plant of the Month (March) : Canyon Silktassel

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): 4 year old plant, Mother Nature's Garden of Health

By
March, Southern California gardens are greening up and plants are beginning to
flower. We’ve discussed a number of
March bloomers over the years. But the
Canyon Silktassel (Garrya veatchii)
in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health is finally large enough to bloom; so we’re
featuring it as our plant of the month. The scientific name is pronounced: GARE-ee-uh VEECH-ee-eye.

Canyon
silktassel belongs to the family Garryaceae
(the Silktassel family). This small family includes but two genera: Garrya and the Asian Acuba (note: some taxonomists place Acuba in a separate family). Of the 15 or 16 species of Garrya, six are native to California, most
with ranges predominantly in Northern California. The most common species grown in gardens is
the northern coastal Garrya elliptica (Wavyleaf
silktassel). There are several
well-known cultivars of this species.

Several
Garryas extend south into the mountains and foothills of Southern California. Garrya flavescens (Ashy silktassel)
grows in the San Gabriel Mountains and Garrya
fremontii (Fremont’s silktassel) in the mountains of Riverside, San
Bernardino and San Diego Counties. But of all the California species, Garrya veatchii has the most southerly
distribution, typically ranging from San Luis Obispo County to northern Baja
California, Mexico. The Canyon silktassel can still be seen in the Transverse
and Coastal Ranges of Southern California (including the Santa Monica and San
Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County).

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): mature plant

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): foliage

Garrya veatchii grows on dry slopes below about 6000
ft. (1759 m.) in the chaparral and central/southern oak woodland plant
communities. It’s a tough, evergreen
plant, often found growing with scrub oaks, Chamise (Adenostema), Threeleaf sumac (Rhus
trilobata) and California brickelbush.
It grows as a multi-trunk woody shrub or small tree, ranging in size
from 4 to 8 ft. (1.2 to 2.5 m.) tall and about as wide. The bark is red-brown when young, becoming
gray with age. Plants are slow-growing until established (3-4 years) then have
a medium growth rate.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): leaf

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): leaf (back)

The
leaves are one of the best ways to distinguish between the Canyon and Wavyleaf
silktassels. The leaves of Garrya veatchii are simple, evergreen, up
to 3 inches (3-9 cm) long and
leathery. The leaf shape is elliptical
or lanceolate (somewhat lance-shaped).
The upper surface is waxy, shiny and medium to dark green; the under
surface white with dense hairs. The leaf
margins are straight, unlike the distinctly wavy margins of the Wavyleaf
silktassel. The leaves become darker
with age; their margins sometimes roll under in dry conditions.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): emerging flowers

Silktassels
are planted in gardens primarily for their unique and picturesque flowers. Plants generally bloom in winter or very
early spring – January to March or April.
The flowers themselves are small and cream or pink-tinged. But they grow along dangling catkins that are
2-5 inches (5-12 cm) long – lovely in a mature plant. Plants are dioecious (separate male and
female plants) and the males have the longer, showier catkins. There’s really nothing like a flowering
silktassel; a mature plant will stop people in their tracks, wondering what
that interesting shrub is. The dried
bracts remain on the plant for several months, prolonging the show.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): flowering plant

Female
plants produce small, egg-shaped fruits if flowers are pollinated. We’ve got just one plant (sex as yet
undetermined); like most gardeners, we’ll never see any fruits. The plants are wind pollinated. For pictures of the fruits see references
1-3, below.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): development in Mother Nature's Garden of Health

In
nature, Canyon silktassel grows in full sun or in some shade. In hot gardens away from the coast we
recommend light shade or afternoon shade.
In our garden of Health we’re growing our plant on the north side of a
tall wall. It gets plenty of morning sun
and seems to be doing fine. While
silktassels like well-drained soils, ours appears to be fine in a
clay-loam. So any soil other than one
with poor drainage will likely work.

Garrya veatchii tolerates heat, air pollution, dry soils
and seaside conditions. It’s probably a
better choice than Garrya elliptica in
most Southern California gardens. Canyon silktassel is quite drought tolerant
once established. We planted ours in
2014. We’ve been watering it 1-2 times a
month (deep watering) in dry times. This
summer we’ll probably just water once a month through August or early
September. It’s important to let soils
dry out between watering to prevent root fungal diseases. We’ll play it by ear and update this post if
we need to.

Canyon silktassel (Garrya veatchii): pruning to espalier on a wall.

Garrya veatchii is often grown as an evergreen shrub,
foundation plant or accent. It can also be
used in hedges and hedgerows. Its dark foliage makes a good background for more
brightly colored perennials or shrubs with gray-green foliage. It also makes a wonderful and easy espalier
along a wall or fence (see above).
We’re hoping that this will be the year when our silktassel really takes
off. We’re tired of the cinder block
wall and look forward to seeing it covered in green!

While
not attracting pollinators, mature plants provide good cover for birds and
small animals. The fruits are eaten by
birds. And in the wilds, the foliage is
occasionally eaten by larger herbivores (like deer, Bighorn sheep).

The
fruits of Garrya species are used to
make gray to black natural dyes. The hard wood is sometimes used for carving.
And silktassels have a history of medicinal use. A decoction of leaves is used externally to
relive pain from cuts, sores and minor wounds. The leaves are very bitter and leaf decoctions
have also been used as a quinine substitute, especially to lower fevers. Tinctures are also occasionally used to relax
smooth muscle cramps and spasms. The plant should not be used by pregnant women, as it is
thought to induce spontaneous abortion. And
as always, medicinals should only be used
under the supervision of a health practitioner. See references 4-6 for more on medicinal
uses and precautions.

We
hope our discussion and photos will entice you into trying Canyon silktassel in
your own garden. It’s a nice, fairly
carefree shrub to grow. It’s evergreen,
with simple dark leaves that provide a nice background. It’s a useful plant – and one that can be magnificent
as an espalier. We suggest it’s worth a
try!