Hollywood is not exactly known for the native flora. Yet, the original name 'Hollywoodland' was derived from the native California holly, or Toyon, botanical name Heteromeles arbutifolia (or Photinia arbutifolia). Although much of Hollywood is now urban, thickets of toyon can still be seen in the undeveloped areas of the Hollywood Hills and around Griffith Observatory. The natural range of toyon extends far beyond Hollywood; throughout coastal Southern California, the Sierra Nevada Foothills and the Coast Ranges. It is common in the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains, and the Mount Diablo Range.
Toyon is naturally a dense shrub about eight feet tall, and can get taller than 20 feet if shaded by other trees. It is easily pruned as a small tree with multiple trunks. Young plants can be pruned and staked on single trunks. The serrated dark green leaves are about three inches long and wide, flat clusters of small, white flowers bloom in June or July, attracting bees.
The bright red, or rarely orange or yellow berries that ripen between now and January are very popular among birds. Before birds get them, the berries are nice with cut flowers in a vase, or even alone. Pruning after the berries are gone promotes fuller growth, and more abundant subsequent bloom and berry production the following year. The cultivar 'Macrocarpa' from the Channel Islands has larger berries.
Because it is locally native, toyon is quite happy in natural landscapes. Once established, it needs no watering, although it tends to look somewhat better and grow faster if watered about monthly through summer. Unlike many native species though, it is very adaptable to irrigated landscapes as well, as long as the soil drains well. Toyon is useful as an informal hedge or screen or as a small specimen tree.
Tony Tomeo is a consulting horticulturist and arborist for New Image Landscape of Fremont. His weekly radio broadcast, "New Image Garden Report," can be heard at 8:10am on Friday mornings on KSCO, 1080 AM of Santa Cruz. Tony can be reached at (888) 226-9191 or ttomeo@newimagelandscape.com.
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