Taxon Report

Lyonothamnus floribundus Gray ssp. floribundus

Santa Catalina Island ironwood

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus, commonly known as Santa Catalina Island ironwood, is a perennial evergreen tree in the Rosaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, and Cismontane woodland, growing at elevations from 75 to 500 meters. Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lyonothamnus floribundus Gray ssp. floribundus
Common Name:	Santa Catalina Island ironwood
Family:	Rosaceae
Element Code:	PDROS12012
USDA Plants Symbol:	LYFLF
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen tree
Blooming Period: May-Jun	May-Jun
Elevation:	75-500 (245-1640)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Cismontane woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G3T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	IUCN_VU; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	19

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Santa Catalina East (3311833), Santa Catalina North (3311844), Santa Catalina South (3311834), Santa Catalina West (3311845)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	4	20 %
Non-native animal impacts	3	15%
Grazing	2	10%

Notes



Threatened by herbivory from non-native deer on SCT Isl. Possibly threatened by erosion. Feral herbivore populations increasingly under control; stump-sprouting and seedlings recently noted.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 April 2026].