Chamise

More info for the term: shrub

chamise
greasewood chamise
chamiso


TAXONOMY:
The scientific name of chamise is Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook and Arn.
(Rosaceae). Chamise and redshank (A.sparsifolium) are the only members
of this genus [38,91]. Chamise has two recognized varieties which are
differentiated on the basis of leaf size and shape [64,91]:

Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum
Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium S. Watson [18,91].

LIFE FORM:
Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY





DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Adenostoma fasciculatum
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Chamise is the most characteristic and widely distributed chaparral
species in California [25,38,121]. It is most extensively distributed
in the southern Coast Ranges [20,26,48], but occurs in the Coast,
Transverse and Peninsular ranges from Mendocino County to Baja
California [20,26,48]. It also occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills
[121] and on the Channel islands [26]. Adenostoma fasciculatum variety
obtusifolium is restricted to southwestern San Diego County and Baja
California [26,92].

Chamise is the most characteristic and widely distributed chaparral
species in California [25,38,121]. It is most extensively distributed
in the southern Coast Ranges [20,26,48], but occurs in the Coast,
Transverse and Peninsular ranges from Mendocino County to Baja
California [20,26,48]. It also occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills
[121] and on the Channel islands [26]. Adenostoma fasciculatum variety
obtusifolium is restricted to southwestern San Diego County and Baja
California [26,92].



Distribution of chamise in the United States. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, July 13] [139].

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire cycle, fire frequency, frequency, fuel, reburn, seed, shrub

Fire frequency: Chamise is adapted to a fire cycle range from 10 to 100
years. It can regenerate after fire intervals of over 100 years,
however [68,74,90,116]. Its capacity for canopy rejuvenation without
fire allows chamise to persist through long fire-free intervals.
Stohlgren and Rundel [125] suggested 30 to 80 years as a "typical" fire
frequency for chamise chaparral communities in Sequoia National Park.

Influence of ryegrass seedings: Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is often
seeded onto recently burned chaparral as a means of emergency
revegetation [4]. Ryegrass, however, inhibits growth and development of
chamise seedlings [33], and ryegrass substantially reduces postfire
chamise seedling establishment [4,33]. On seeded burns in southern
California, almost no chamise seedlings established where first-year
ryegrass cover ranged between 40 and 90 percent [19].

Ryegrass seedings also produce an easily ignitable fuel bed that
increases the likelihood of an early reburn. Fires occurring at short
intervals have the potential to cause significant changes in species
density and composition within chamise chaparral [4]. Not only do
frequent fires produce high mortality of sprouted plants [136], but
postfire seedlings (derived from the previously dormant seedbank) are
also killed, thereby depleting the on-site seed reserve [66,136].
Consequently, chamise is unable to reestablish, and gaps in the shrub
matrix are subject to invasion by coastal sage scrub species such as
black sage, California sagebrush, and California buckwheat. The site
may be dominated by coastal sage scrub species for 100 years or more
[4].

Deer browse: Deer use of chamise is often extensive immediately
following fire [9,113,121]. Browse value of sprouts lasts for only 2 to
3 years because plants quickly mature to less nutritious stages or die
from overuse [96]. To enhance deer use of sprouts, cattle access to
burns should be restricted during the first postfire season [113].
Because of the lack of adequate escape cover, only the periphery of large
burns receive extensive deer use prior to the second postfire season.
The center of large burns are rarely if ever utilized during the first
several seasons [96]. Close utilization within the first year may kill
chamise, and mortalities of up to 64 percent are possible under intense
browsing pressure [10].

Late winter or early spring fires are most favorable for production of
deer browse because succulent sprouts with a high nutrient value are
produced almost immediately, and subsequent sprout growth is rapid
during the spring growth period [76]. If fires are conducted after
mid-September in northern California, sprouting may not be profuse until
the following spring [9]. Fires resulting in total plant consumption
produce the most usable browse, since deer tend to avoid burned chamise
with main scaffold branches remaining [9,24].

More info for the terms: cover, forest, natural, shrub, woodland

Chamise is a shrub component of chaparral, woodland, and forest
communities throughout much of California [13,51]. Within chaparral
communities, chamise typically dominates the shrub cover on the hottest
and driest sites [102]. As available moisture increases, it codominates
with manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) and ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.)
species [42,51]. Chamise is an understory shrub in dry coniferous
woodlands dominated by Parry pinyon (Pinus quadrifolia), knobcone pine
(P. attenuata), or gray pine (P. sabiniana). Less commonly, chamise
occurs beneath scrubby "forest" communities dominated by either Torrey
pine (P. torreyana), knobcone pine, Piute cypress (Cupressus arizonica
ssp. nevadensis), Cuyamaca cypress (C. a. var. stephensonii), or Tecate
cypress (C. forbesii) [51]. It is also present in the understory of
maritime Coast Range ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests [51].

Common associates within chamise chaparral include [13]:

northern Coast Range: hoary manzanita (Arctostaphylos
canescens), Parry manzanita (A. manzanita), wedgeleaf
ceanothus (Ceanothus cuneatus), wavyleaf ceanothus (C.
foliosus), and leather oak (Quercus durata).

southern Coast Range: oaks (Quercus spp.), ceanothus (Ceanothus
spp.), manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), buckthorns (Rhamnus
spp.), sumacs (Rhus and Malosma spp.), California sagebrush
(Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum
fasciculatum), and sage (Salvia spp.).

interior: whiteleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida), Parry
manzanita, wedgeleaf ceanothus, Lemmon ceanothus (C.
lemmonnii), chaparral whitethorn, toyon (Heteromeles
arbutifolia), buckthorns, poison-oak (Toxicodendron
diversilobum), and yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum).

southern California: bigberry manzanita (A. glauca),
Mexican manzanita (A. pungens), pink-bracted manzanita
(A. pringlei var. drupacea), hoaryleaf ceanothus (C.
crassifolius), and desert ceanothus (C. greggi var. perplexans).

Published classifications listing chamise as a dominant or indicator
species include:

The chaparral vegetation of Santa Cruz Island, California [11]
Vegetation and floristics of Pinnacles National Monument [36]
Vegetation types of the San Gabriel Mountains [41]
Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of
California [51]
Vegetation types of the San Bernardino Mountains [53]
A vegetation classification system applied to southern California [102]

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

Browse tolerance: Access to new growth is greatly improved following
fire, and chamise is fairly tolerant of concentrated use at this time
[9,76]. Moderate cropping by deer prolongs the period of enhanced
palatability by keeping sprouts in younger growth stages and by
stimulating additional browse production [6]. Without browsing sprout
bases become woody and are no longer preferred [6,9]. Continued close
browsing, however, kills most plants within 2 to 3 years [9,10].

Chamise is heavily browsed on Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina islands.
Decades of severe overgrazing by feral animals (pigs, sheep, and goats)
has removed more palatable species and given chaparral stands an open,
arborescent structure. Chamise exhibits a noticeable browse line and a
trend towards increased trunk diameter, canopy coverage, and height
[15]. Chamise produces few basal sprouts under such intense browsing
and is very susceptible to eradication [15,87].

Herbicides: Chamise is sensitive to 2,4-D [14,37,63,97].
Plants exhibit a wide range of response to ammonium sulfide or benzoic
acid application [37].

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: fruit, lignotuber

Stem elongation occurs from February through May [2,130]. Shoot
organization in chamise consists of short and long shoots and has been
described by Jow and others [62]. New leaves appear in late January or
February and continue to develop as shoots elongate [2]. New foliage is
not limited to the current season's growth; short shoots remain active
and produce leaves on 2- to 8-year-old branches [62]. Leaves are
retained for two growing seasons [118].

Chamise produces nearly twice the amount of reproductive tissue as it
does new stems and leaves [89]. In Sequoia National Park, flowers
develop on the current year's growth in June followed by fruit
development in July [2]. Fruit ripening and dispersal is completed by
August. At this time, inflorescences die back and new growth becomes
woody [2]. Although flower bud development and flowering occur at a
time of decreasing water potential, reproductive growth is somewhat
resistant to summer drought conditions. Water stored in the lignotuber
allows chamise to maintain reproductive growth despite low water
potentials [2]. Ample rainfall during the season directly preceding
major growth activity increases the quantity of reproductive as well as
vegetative growth [2,38].

Root growth: The period of root growth lasts considerably longer than
the seasonal flush of shoot growth [78]. Fine roots may grow for 5 to 7
months [78].

Carbohydrate reserves: Onset of shoot growth is preceded by
carbohydrate mobilization to the shoot apex and correlated with a
decrease in the starch concentration of the roots and lignotuber [108].
Demand for nutrients during canopy and reproductive growth is quite high
and by the end of the spring growth season, carbohydrate reserves in the
roots and lignotuber are largely depleted [61]. During the summer,
water stress-induced suppression of photosynthesis results in a
reduction in carbohydrate availability at the shoot apex, and shoot
growth ceases [1,5,38,108]. Cessation of growth is followed by a
gradual increase in root starch reserves over fall and winter [61,81].

More info for the terms: ground residual colonizer, root crown, shrub

Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)

The scientific name of chamise is Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook and Arn.
(Rosaceae). Chamise and redshank (A.sparsifolium) are the only members
of this genus [38,91]. Chamise has two recognized varieties which are
differentiated on the basis of leaf size and shape [64,91]:

Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum
Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium S. Watson [18,91].