Toyon – Heteromeles Arbutifolia

Toyon, known botanically as Heteromeles Arbutifolia, is a beautiful perennial shrub native throughout the western part of California and the Sierra foothills. 

It is a prominent component of the coastal sage scrub plant community, and is a part of drought-adapted chaparral and mixed oak woodland habitats. 

Toyon often grows to about 8 feet tall, but there are some spectacular specimens in the Los Padres National Forest that are over 30 feet tall. 

Its leaves are evergreen, alternate, sharply toothed with small, bright red and berry-like fruit, produced in large quantities, maturing in the fall and persisting well into the winter. The flowers are visited by butterflies and other insects, and have a mild, hawthorn-like scent.