Malosma laurina

Malosma is a plant genus with only one species, laurina. It was formerly known as Rhus laurina. Avocado and citrus growers use natural stands of laurel sumac to indicate favorable frost free zones. Malosma laurina is native to the U.S. and is in the Anacardiaceae (Sumac Family).
Photo Credit: © Brandt Maxwell
Malosma laurina
Common Name: laurel sumac
Plant Functional Group: Evergreen broadleaf
Class > Order > Family: Magnoliopsida > Sapindales > Anacardiaceae
What does the species look like? Malosma laurel is a rounded, evergreen, perennial shrub or tree that grows to 15 feet. Laurel sumac is often found as a large thicket with a spreading crown. Its bark is smooth and grayish-brown, its leaves are a glossy green with reddish veins, and its stems are red. Its small, fragrant, white flowers appear in large, tight clusters that look somewhat like a lilac flower. The fruit is a smooth white drupe with a hard-coated seed and appears in clusters.   Malosma laurina occurs only along the southern coasts of California, below 3,000 feet, on dry ridges and canyons in chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and oak woodland communities. It is drought resistant but not frost tolerant.   Malosma laurina attracts birds and songbirds that eat the fruit. Deer and other mammals lightly eat seedlings and the fruit of laurel sumac. Insects enjoy the fragrant flowers. Some people in frost-free zones use this shrub as a landscape plant.
Where is the species found?
States & Provinces
CA
Special Considerations for Observing
1. If drought seems to be the cause of leaf color or fall for a plant, please make a comment about it for that observation.
Which phenophases should I observe?
Do you see...?
Leaves Breaking leaf buds
One or more breaking leaf buds are visible on the plant. A leaf bud is considered "breaking" once a green leaf tip is visible at the end of the bud, but before the first leaf from the bud has unfolded to expose the leaf base at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem.
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How many buds are breaking?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Young leaves
One or more young, unfolded leaves are visible on the plant. A leaf is considered "young" and "unfolded" once its entire length has emerged from a breaking bud, stem node or growing stem tip, so that the leaf base is visible at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem, but before the leaf has reached full size or turned the darker green color or tougher texture of mature leaves on the plant. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves.

How many young leaves are present?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Flowers Flowers or flower buds
One or more fresh open or unopened flowers or flower buds are visible on the plant. Include flower buds or inflorescences that are swelling or expanding, but do not include those that are tightly closed and not actively growing (dormant). Also do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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How many flowers and flower buds are present? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), simply estimate the number of flower heads, spikes or catkins and not the number of individual flowers.

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Open flowers
One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers.
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What percentage of all fresh flowers (buds plus unopened plus open) on the plant are open? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), estimate the percentage of all individual flowers that are open.

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Fruits Fruits
One or more fruits are visible on the plant. For Malosma laurina, the fruit is berry-like and changes from green to whitish.
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How many fruits are present?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
Ripe fruits
One or more ripe fruits are visible on the plant. For Malosma laurina, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned whitish.
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What percentage of all fruits (unripe plus ripe) on the plant are ripe?

  • Less than 5%
  • 5-24%
  • 25-49%
  • 50-74%
  • 75-94%
  • 95% or more
Recent fruit or seed drop
One or more mature fruits or seeds have dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit. Do not include obviously immature fruits that have dropped before ripening, such as in a heavy rain or wind, or empty fruits that had long ago dropped all of their seeds but remained on the plant.
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How many mature fruits have dropped seeds or have completely dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit?

  • Less than 3
  • 3 to 10
  • 11 to 100
  • 101 to 1,000
  • 1,001 to 10,000
  • More than 10,000
What do these phenophases look like?

There is currently no photoguide available for this species. If you'd like help us create one, use the guidance document and species template provided here. Then send it via email to education@usanpn.org when it is complete.

USDA PLANTS profile for laurel sumac (USDA Symbol: MALA6 )