Bush Rue, Cneoridium dumosum

About Bush Rue (Cneoridium dumosum) 11 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Cneoridium is a monotypic genus in the Rutaceae (citrus family) which contains the single species Cneoridium dumosum, known by the common name Bushrue. This is an aromatic is shrub native to the coastal bluffs of southern California and Baja California. This highly-branched shrub may exceed a meter in height and sprawl about as wide. Its twigs are covered in small linear green leaves and flowers in clusters of one to three. Each flower is just over a centimeter wide with four or five rounded white petals and eight yellow-anthered white stamens. The bunching fruits are round reddish-green berries about half a centimeter wide covered in a thin peel which is gland-pitted like that of a common citrus fruit. Each berry contains one or two spherical seeds. May cause dermatitis in some people so use with caution. In the summer, the leaves of the plant turn an attractive golden color.

This is a tough and easy to grow plant. Amazingly drought tolerant but still tolerates occasional summer water better than most plants. It prefers full sun, and tolerates a wide variety of soil types. In the summer, its leaves turn an attractive golden color, and will green back up after the rainy season begins.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3.3 - 5 ft tall
3 - 5 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

White, Yellow

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Hummingbirds and insects are attracted to the flowers. Various birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruits.
Butterfly gardens

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 11

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Often but not always found on eroded gabbro or sandstone soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Butterfly Gardens, Butterfly Host Plants, Groundcovers

Companion Plants

Torrey Pine, Del Mar Manzanita, Summer Holly, San Diego Sage, Encinitas Baccharis, Del Mar Mesa Sand Aster, Nuttall's Scrub Oak

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 1-2 mos. stratification. For propagating from cuttings: Take ~4 inch cuttings in winter or spring from stems at least 1 year old. Remove foliage from bottom half of stem and pre-treat with a rooting compound. Place stems in mix of half peat and half moist pearlite. Water mixture and put in a plastic bag that is not entirely sealed. Place in a warm spot but not in direct sunlight. Roots should appear within 30 days.

Sunset Zones?

8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Mesas, bluffs, canyons and marine terraces of San Diego and Orange Counties as well as Baja California, Mexico, where it is a component of Southern Maritime Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, or Maritime Succulent Scrub.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 9.6" - 25.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.19" - 1.59", Coldest Month: 41.6" - 56.7", Hottest Month: 69.0" - 78.4", Humidity: 1.25" - 24.27", Elevation: -2" - 4033"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Bushrue

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Bush Rue

Cneoridium dumosum

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Bush RueCneoridium dumosum

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Bush Rue

Cneoridium dumosum