Toyon (Edible Plants on UC Berkeley Campus)

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

Description ⁴

More info for the terms: bisexual, lignotuber, sclerophyllous, shrub, tree

Toyon is a native, broad-leaved, sclerophyllous, arborescent shrub which
typically grows from 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall [9,24,45,56,58]. On
more favorable sites toyon may occasionally attain tree stature,
reaching heights of approximately 33 feet (10 m); however, in these
instances it typically retains a shrublike form [9]. Plants are erect,
freely branched, and unarmed [45]. Older branches have gray bark [45].
The dense foliage is composed of simple, evergreen leaves which are from
2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long and arranged alternately on the stem;
leaf margins are sharply toothed and bristly pointed [56,58]. The
inconspicuous, bisexual flowers are white in color and occur in loose,
somewhat flat, terminal clusters [56]. The bright red, berrylike fruits
are approximately 0.25 inch (5 to 6 mm) in diameter and contain one or
two, small brown seeds [37,45,46]. Toyon has a strong and much-branched
root system that is deeply penetrating and wide spreading [24]. Feeder
roots are abundant in the surface humus around the plant base as well as
elsewhere throughout the extensive root system. In response to repeated
postburn sprouting, toyon sometimes develops an enlarged rootcrown which
is irregularly shaped and platformlike [30]; this structure, however, is
not a lignotuber [30,31]. Longevity of toyon is estimated to be from
100 to 200 years [30].

Morphological distinctions between varieties are presented below
[45,46]:

H. a. var. arbutifolia - typical variety; fruit red
H. a. var. cerina - fruit yellow
H. a. var. macrocarpa - large fruited form; fruit red; leaves subentire

Distribution ⁵

Heteromeles arbutifolia occurs commonly in mixed oak woodland, mixed evergreen forest and chaparral from California's Humboldt County south to Baja California. This occurrence generally does not exceed an elevation of 1300 meters and coincides with much of the extent of the California Floristic Province. Toyon occurs in the California North and South Coast Ranges as well as foothills of the Sierra Nevada from central California southward into the Transverse Ranges. Disjunctive populations of var. macrocarpa are restricted to the Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands off the coast of Southern California.

Habitat characteristics ⁶

Toyon is a characteristic species of chaparral and foothill woodland
communities throughout its distribution [20,45]. It usually grows in
scattered stands [9,56] on semidry, rocky slopes within foothills,
mountains, and canyon bottoms at elevations below 4,000 feet (1,220 m)
[37,45]. Soils supporting toyon are typically dry and well drained and
may occasionally be somewhat saline [58]. Although occurring on a
variety of aspects, toyon is most often associated with relatively mesic
chaparral communities, occupying cool, north exposures, erosion
channels, arroyos, depressions, and toeslopes [20,60].

Edible ⁷

Toyons are a delicious delicacy but one must be careful when eating these because they have protective mechanisms against animals eating. The leaves have tough skin that is fine for brewing tea but unpleasant for chewing. The unripe fruits also have cyanide that would later retreat and be focused in the seeds when ripe. That being said, fruits that are not yet ripe or the seeds of the ripe fruit should not be consumed.

Sources and Credits

(c) randomtruth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/58096907@N00/2680620132
(c) James Gaither, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim-sf/4188636031/
(c) Anthony Mendoza, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/39039456@N07/6729523061/
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24636392
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/7063188
Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24636395
(c) jihyunan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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Toyon

Description 4

Distribution 5

Habitat characteristics 6

Edible 7