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Arizona
Rosewood (Vauquelinia californica) is a vigorous, dense, upright,
evergreen shrub that is an excellent
alternative to Nerium Oleanders in
all landscape designs. While it is a
distant botanical relative of the
Rose, its takes it common name from
the heart wood of branches that can
range from red to shades of brown.
It is found in canyons and hillsides
in Arizona, Baja and Sonora Mexico
at elevations between 2500 to 5000
feet. This large shrub/small tree is
reported to be hardy to 10 to 15
degrees. New growth may be a bit
less cold tolerant than mature wood.
As a desert native it is well
adapted to high temperatures and
poor soils and grows well in either
partial or full sun. It can be
naturalized in some desert locations
to survive on rainfall or grows well
with deep, monthly summer
irrigations. Growth rates are slow
for young plants. As roots mature
and plants become more established
growth rates increase. Reports of
the mature height and width vary
from 8 to 30 feet tall and 5 to 20
feet wide from seed cultivation.
Cloning a desirable
selection will produce
more uniformity. The natural shrub form is
the result of numerous low
branching, upright stems with dense,
alternating, erect leaves. Leaves
are dark green, leathery, 2 to 4"
long and 1/2 to 1 1/2"wide with
serrated or saw-toothed leaf
margins. The combination of upright
branches and upward pointing leaves
give Rosewood its strong columnar
growth habit. Flat-topped clusters
of snowy white to cream
colored flowers (about 3/8" in
diameter each) are found from spring
to summer. Flowers mature during the
summer into dark brown to rust
colored hard fruit. Some fruit
remains attached through the winter
months. It can be used as a tall
informal hedge that serves as an
effective privacy screen or noise
barrier. It requires no pruning but
can, over several years, be pruned
into a small tree form. It is used
as a perimeter planting, hedge,
large accent shrub or in many
landscape applications were
Oleanders are currently used. Its
advantages over Oleander include
slower growth, ease of maintenance,
limited leaf and flower litter,
flowers and plant parts are not
toxic to people or pets and it can
be naturalized in most landscape
settings. |
