Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

This Prostrate Chamise is a horticultural cultivar of the widespread native Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise) from San Nicolas Island in Southern California, that was selected and introduced by Tree of Life Nursery in 1979.

This is a dense mounding ground cover shrub, 1-3 ft. high and spreading 3-5 ft. It has dense heather-like dark green foliage, which can be an attractive contrast to lighter green or gray foliage of surrounding plants. It has white flowers in spring to summer.

San Nicolas Prostrate Chamise is recommended for parkway median strips, slopes, rock gardens, or containers. It grows in full to part sun, is very drought tolerant, and can handle no summer water once established.
A wider spreading cultivar, also with the common name Prostrate Chamise, is Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Nicolas'.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

1 - 3 ft Tall
3 - 5 ft Wide

Form

Mounding, Spreading

Growth rate

Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

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Color

White

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established, Never irrigate once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15 F° F

Soil description

Tolerates a wide variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Sunset Zones

7, 8*, 9*, 14, 15, 16, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Site type

Dry slopes or flats in chaparral below 6000'

Many chaparral and coastal sage scrub plants make good companions, including: ground cover & shrub Manzanitas (Archtostaphylos spp.),, ground cover & shrub Sages (Salvia app.), native Bunchgrasses [e.g. Purple Three Awn (Aristida purpurea), Needlegrasses (Stipa spp.)], ground cover & shrub California Lilacs (Ceanothus spp.), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) & Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata), Scrub oaks (Quercus app.), Yuccas (Hesperoyucca & Yucca spp.), various Cactus [e.g. Pricklypears (Opuntia spp.)], and geophytes such as Common Goldenstar (Bloomeria crocea) & Mariposa Lilies (Calachortus spp.).

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