Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
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| Bearbrush. Image used with permission of J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan, © California Academy of Sciences. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION:
Howard, Janet L. 1992. Garrya fremontii. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/garfre/all.html [].
Revisions:
On 10 July 2018, the common name of this species was changed in FEIS
from: flannel bush
to: bearbrush. Images were also added.
ABBREVIATION:
GARFRE
SYNONYMS:
Garrya fremontii var. fremontii
Garrya fremontii var. laxa Eastw. [11,15]
Garrya rigida Eastw.
NRCS PLANT CODE:
GAFR
COMMON NAMES:
bearbrush
California fever bush
flannel bush
Bearbrush
quinine bush
silktassel bush
TAXONOMY:
The currently accepted scientific name of bearbrush is Garrya
fremontii Torr. (Garryaceae) [11,15].
LIFE FORM:
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status
OTHER STATUS:
Washington has put bearbrush on the state's monitor list under
Group 3: more abundant and/or less threatened than previously assumed
[24].
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Bearbrush occurs in Washington, Oregon, and California
[11,15,22]. It is distributed along the Columbia River in Washington
and Oregon, and in the Klamath Mountains and Coast Ranges from Josephine
and Jackson counties, Oregon south to Monterey County, California. In
the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, it occurs from Lane County,
Oregon south to Madera County, California [11,16]. A disjunct
population occurs in the Transverse and Peninsular ranges in Riverside,
Orange, and San Diego counties, California [16]. G. fremontii var. laxa
occurs in Trinity County, California [11].
 |
| Distribution of bearbrush. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, July 10] [27]. |
ECOSYSTEMS:
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
STATES:
CA OR WA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbian Plateau
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K006 Redwood forest
K007 Red fir forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K026 Oregon oakwoods
K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K030 California oakwoods
K033 Chaparral
K034 Montane chaparral
SAF COVER TYPES:
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
231 Port-Orford-cedar
232 Redwood
233 Oregon white oak
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
246 California black oak
247 Jeffrey pine
248 Knobcone pine
249 Canyon live oak
250 Blue oak - gray pine
255 California coast live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES:
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES:
Bearbrush usually occurs as scattered individuals throughout
the chaparral zone, although it is dominant in some localities [25].
Bearbrush is listed as a dominant or codominant species in
vegetation types (vts) in the following published classifications
[17,24]:
Area Classification Authority
Ca:Marble Mts. montane chaparral vts Muth 1980
Ca:Santa Ana Mts. chamise chaparral Vogl 1976
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:
Bearbrush is browsed by livestock and mule deer in winter and
spring [2,3]. It is one of the principal winter browse species on some
Oregon ranges [26]. The fruit is eaten by various chaparral animals
including songbirds, mountain quail, gray fox, and rodents [18,22].
PALATABILITY:
Bearbrush fruit is palatable to birds and various mammals.
Older leaves and twigs contain a bitter alkaloid that makes them
unpalatable to some browsers. Sprouts, however, are highly palatable to
mule deer and all classes of livestock. The relish and degree of use
shown by livestock and wildlife species for bearbrush leaves
and twigs in California is rated as follows [22]:
mule deer - good
cattle - poor
horses - poor
goats - good
sheep - fair to good
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:
The protein content of bearbrush varies from 12.0 percent in
May and June to 5.1 percent in August [2].
COVER VALUE:
Bearbrush provides good cover for black bear, mule deer, and
various birds and small mammals [18].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:
Bearbrush can be used for wildlife habitat and watershed
rehabilitation. It is easily cultivated from stem cuttings or seed, and
transplants well. Nursery-grown seedlings transplanted in the Klamath
River Canyon, California showed an 84 percent survival rate after 17
years [8]. Seed can be obtained by harvesting native plants.
Cultivation methods have been detailed [21].
OTHER USES AND VALUES:
Bearbrush's shiny, yellow-green leaves, showy yellow panicles,
and purple berries make it an attractive landscaping ornamental [21,22].
Garryine, an alkaloid extracted from bearbrush, was used by
early settlers as a tonic [22].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
Timber: Because bearbrush occurs as widely scattered
individuals in most areas, it is usually not a serious competitor of
timber species. Bearbrush is difficult to control where it
grows in dominant stands, however. It will sprout following hand
release or controlled burning. Some chemical treatments may not be
effective, since Garrya species show resistance to many foliar sprays.
Phenoxy compounds, rated as intermediate in effectiveness for this
genus, may be the best choice for timberland spraying. Application
methods have been detailed. Bearbrush may sprout following
die-back from chemical spraying [4].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Bearbrush is a dioecious, erect, many-branched, native
evergreen shrub from 5 to 15 feet (1.5-4.5 m) in height. The leaves and
fruits are glabrous to thickly pubescent. The small flowers are borne
on racemes. Garrya fremontii var. fremontii is distinguished by thickly
pubescent leaves and fruits and thick, crowded racemes. G. fremontii
var. laxa has glabrous to finely pubescent leaves and fruits, and
thinner, less compact racemes. The fruit is a berry with from one to
four thin-coated seeds [11,14,15,22]. Details concerning the rooting
habits of this species or this genus are lacking.
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM:
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES:
Sexual: Bearbrush reproduces by seed [8,15,21,22]. Plants
produce seed at eight years of age. Seed falls under the parent plant
or is dispersed by animals [3]. Germination requires overwinter
stratification. Fresh seed viability is 85 to 99 percent, but viability
decreases with age. Mirov [14] reported a germination success
rate of 24 percent for 3-year-old seeds under laboratory conditions.
Bearbrush seedlings are poor competitors, and their survival
rate is low. First-year nursery seedlings have shown 69 percent
mortality [8].
Vegetative: Bearbrush sprouts from the root crown or stump
[3,8,22].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil and topography: Bearbrush grows in well-drained, slightly
acidic, typic Xerochrept soil with 50 to 60 percent coarse fragment
[12]. Soil nutrient levels are low, and moisture is low from mid-spring
to mid-fall [3,18,19]. The species will tolerate serpentine soil
[7,24]. Typical topography includes rocky slopes, rolling hills, or
steep canyons [19].
Climate: Bearbrush grows in a Mediterranean climate with cool,
wet winters and hot, dry summers [18].
Elevation: Bearbrush occurs from 2,500 to 7,000 feet
(762-2,134 m) [22].
Associated species: The associated species of bearbrush
include Colter pine (Pinus coulteri), white fir (Abies concolor), deer
oak (Quercus sadleriana), scrub oak (Q. dumosa), manzanita
(Arctostaphylos spp.), buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus), redbud (Cercis
occidentalis), birchleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides),
toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), poison-oak (Toxicodendron
diversilobum), chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), soft chess (Bromus
mollis), foxtail fescue (Festuca magalura), cutleaf filaree (Erodium
cicutarium), and various clovers (Trifolium spp.) [5,17,18,19,23].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:
Bearbrush is found in all stages of succession. Pioneer
seedlings grew in a clear-cut area of a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii) forest near Blue River, Oregon [28]. The plant is a
sprouting survivor in initial and early seral communities [3,8]. It is
shade tolerant [22] and persists until late seral stages in foothill
woodland and forest communities, where it may be replaced by oaks,
ponderosa or Jeffrey pine (Pinus ponderosa; P. jeffreyi), western white
pine (P. monticola), redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), or Douglas-fir.
Bearbrush is most common, however, in chaparral communities.
These communities are maintained through lack of soil build-up or
frequent fire, which prevents permanent invasion of trees. In chaparral,
bearbrush is classified as a climax or pyric-climax species
[17].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:
The following seasonal development has been reported for plants in
Washington and California [15,21]:
growth starts - January to May
flowering - January to May
seed ripe - August to December
dissemination begins - September to December
dissemination over - November to January
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:
Bearbrush sprouts from the root crown following fire [3,8,22].
FIRE REGIMES:
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown
off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1 & 2
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:
Severe fire top-kills bearbrush. Severe fire also kills the
thin-coated seed unless it is buried 1 inch (0.4 cm) or more below the
soil surface [8,21].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT:
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:
Bearbrush recovers from fire rapidly. Everett [8] reported a
92 percent survival rate for plants that were scorched or burned to
ground level following a severe fire in Humboldt County, California.
Top-killed plants sprout vigorously in the first postfire growing
season. Partially burned plants grow new shoots from the unburned
portions of their branches. New shoots produce flowers and fruits at
the second postfire growing season. By postfire year 3, plants have
regained or exceeded their original heights [3,8,22].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
Prescribed burning will not significantly affect bearbrush
populations. Fire does not stimulate germination of this species, but
fire-damaged plants usually regain or exceed their prefire biomass
within a few years.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Garrya fremontii
REFERENCES:
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Bissell, Harold D.; Strong, Helen. 1955. The crude protein variations in
the browse diet of California deer. California Fish and Game. 41(2):
145-155. [10524]
3. Biswell, H. H.; Gilman, J. H. 1961. Brush management in relation to fire
and other environmental factors on the Tehama deer winter range.
California Fish and Game. 47(4): 357-389. [6275]
4. Bovey, Rodney W. 1977. Response of selected woody plants in the United
States to herbicides. Agric. Handb. 493. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 101 p. [8899]
5. Conard, S. G.; Radosevich, S. R. 1982. Post-fire succession in white fir
(Abies concolor) vegetation of the northern Sierra Nevada. Madrono.
29(1): 42-56. [4931]
6. Dasmann, Raymond Fredric. 1954. Ecology and social behavior of a
population of the Columbian black-tailed deer. Berkeley, CA: University
of California. 155 p. Dissertation. [17402]
7. Dodd, Richard S. 1992. Noteworthy collections: California. Madrono.
39(1): 79. [17536]
8. Everett, Percy C. 1957. A summary of the culture of California plants at
the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1927-1950. Claremont, CA: The Rancho
Santa Ana Botanic Garden. 223 p. [7191]
9. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
10. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
11. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1961. Vascular plants of the
Pacific Northwest. Part 3: Saxifragaceae to Ericaceae. Seattle, WA:
University of Washington Press. 614 p. [1167]
12. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
13. Mirov, N. T.; Kraebel, C. J. 1937. Collecting and propagating the seeds
of California wild plants. Res. Note No. 18. Berkeley, CA: U.S.
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14. Mooney, H. A.; Dunn, E. L.; Shropshire, Frances; Song, Leo. 1970.
Vegetation comparisons between the Mediterranean climatic areas of
California and Chile. Flora. 159: 480-496. [13591]
15. Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155]
16. Munz, Philip A. 1974. A flora of southern California. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. 1086 p. [4924]
17. Muth, Gilbert Jerome. 1980. Quercus saderiana R. Br. Campst., its
distribution, ecology, and relationships to other oaks. In: Plumb,
Timothy R., technical coordinator. Proceedings of the symposium on the
ecology, management and utilization of California oaks; 1979 June 26-28;
Claremont, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range
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18. Pase, Charles P. 1982. Californian (coastal) chaparral. In: Brown, David
E., ed. Biotic communities of the American Southwest--United States and
Mexico. Desert Plants. 4(1-4): 91-94. [8891]
19. Powers, Robert F. 1990. Pinus sabiniana Dougl. Digger pine. In: Burns,
Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of
North America. Volume 1. Conifers. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 463-469. [13406]
20. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
21. Reynolds, Hudson G.; Alexander, Robert R. 1974. Garrya Dougl.
silktassel. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., ed. Seeds of woody plants in the
United States. Agriculture Handbook No. 450. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 420-421. [7670]
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brushlands and browse plants. Berkeley, CA: University of California,
Division of Agricultural Sciences, California Agricultural Experiment
Station, Extension Service. 162 p. [3240]
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Mountains, California. Ecological Monographs. 43: 125-143. [4815]
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Santa Ana and San Jacinto Mountains. In: Latting, June, ed. Symposium
proceedings: plant communities of southern California; 1974 May 4;
Fullerton, CA. Special Publication No. 2. Berkeley, CA: California
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after clear cutting old-growth Douglas-fir. Res. Pap. PNW-34. Portland,
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FEIS Home Page
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