Heteromeles arbutifolia 'Davis Gold'
- Subject: Heteromeles arbutifolia 'Davis Gold'
- From: E* W*
- Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 09:55:42 -0800
Dear Medit Plants,
A yellow berried form of Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) has been around
for quite awhile but perhaps only recently has been grown by some of the
larger wholesale nurseries. I first saw it at California Flora Nursery
just north of Santa Rosa sometime in the mid 1990's. I recently emailed
Sherrie Althouse, one of the owners of the nursery and she sent me the
following information.
" We first got the plant in l992 from Parker Sanderson who was working
at the Arboretum at the time. Warren Roberts says the plant was from a
batch of seed collected on Santa Catalina Island in l962 by Doug
Propft. It was introduced into the trade by a grad student named
Charles Filmer who went all over the state looking for yellow berried
forms of toyon. Turns out the one grown from the island seed
collection, which was planted near the administration building on the
U.C.Davis campus, was easier than most to propagate vegetatively. It
was therefore introduced as 'Davis Gold'. "
Toyon is one of my favorite native shrubs. I only wish that fireblight
and thrips would leave it alone.
Ernie Wasson
Cabrillo College
Monterey Bay Area, California
