Family: Rosaceae

Large shrub (very rarely a tree) to 15x10’. Large clusters of white flowers appear in late spring, eventually developing into persistent tan fruit.

A subspecies called pauciflora which has slightly smaller and thicker leaves, smaller flower clusters than the plant pictured above—it is also slightly less hardy, to 0°F. Naturally it is only found in a few places, only one spot in Arizona in the Peloncillo Mountains, near the Mexico border. Another subspecies, sonorensis, has silvery undersides on the leaves and is found in Organ Pipe National Monument (in the Ajo Mountains) and in the Sand Tank Mountains.

Grow in full to part sun, with moderate water, hardy to -10˚F.

Larval host for the Two-Tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata).

Vauquelinia is named for Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, a 19th century French chemist and botanist; californica means of or from California. There are 4 species southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Found on gravelly or limestone soils in canyons and oak woodlands, from 2,500-5,000 ft. in southern Arizona, Sonora, and Baja California.