Plant Name
Scientific Name: Mortonia scabrella
Synonym: Mortonia sempervirens ssp. scabrella
Common Names: Rio Grande Saddlebush, Sandpaper Bush
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Evergreen
Growth Habit: Shrub
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert (upper elevation), Upland
Flower Color: White
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall (early)
Height: To 4 feet (1.2 m) tall
Description: The flowers are clustered near the branch tips. The individual flowers are 1/4 inch wide and have 5 round petals. The leaves are crowded along the stiff, upright stems and are green, oval, leathery, ascending, alternate, and rough-textured with a distinctive sandpaper-like feel.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae – Bittersweet family
Genus: Mortonia A. Gray – saddlebush
Species: Mortonia scabrella A. Gray – Rio Grande saddlebush
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