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Grayia (plant)
Encyclopedia
Grayia is a monotypic genus of plants containing the sole species Grayia spinosa, which is known by the common names hop sage and spiny hop sage.
, where it grows in a number of desert
and mountain habitats. It is a small, multibranched, brambly shrub
generally under a meter-3 feet in height. The grayish branches have spiny, pointed ends and stiff twigs. During the growing season the branches are covered in small oval-shaped, flat to scooplike leaves mostly under 3 centimeters in length.
, with male individuals flowering in clumps of a few flowers surrounded by leaflike bract
s, and female individuals producing inflorescences of bright pink, yellow, or white fruiting bracts surrounding tiny petalless pistillate
flowers. Female inflorescences are much larger than male and make the plant one of the more colorful shrubs in the springtime habitat. The fruit is a utricle only a few millimeters wide.
The shrub sheds its leaves and flowers by the summer in hot or dry areas and becomes a woody gray thicket; it is evergreen in some regions. The genus was named after the botanist Asa Gray
.
Distribution
This plant is widely distributed across the Western United StatesWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, where it grows in a number of desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
and mountain habitats. It is a small, multibranched, brambly shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
generally under a meter-3 feet in height. The grayish branches have spiny, pointed ends and stiff twigs. During the growing season the branches are covered in small oval-shaped, flat to scooplike leaves mostly under 3 centimeters in length.
Description
The Grayia spinosa shrub is dioeciousDioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
, with male individuals flowering in clumps of a few flowers surrounded by leaflike bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s, and female individuals producing inflorescences of bright pink, yellow, or white fruiting bracts surrounding tiny petalless pistillate
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
flowers. Female inflorescences are much larger than male and make the plant one of the more colorful shrubs in the springtime habitat. The fruit is a utricle only a few millimeters wide.
The shrub sheds its leaves and flowers by the summer in hot or dry areas and becomes a woody gray thicket; it is evergreen in some regions. The genus was named after the botanist Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
.