Virginia Tech Dendrology

ashy silktassel Garryaceae Garrya flavescens S. Watson symbol: GAFL2
Leaf: Opposite, simple, evergreen and leathery, ovate, to 4 inches, entire margins, ashy gray-green and silky pubescent above and (more so) below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; produced in silky drooping spikes (tassels), 4 inches long, lacking petals, gray-green, appearing late winter to early spring.
Fruit: Several round berries borne in pairs on 1 1/2 to 3 inch-long tassels, individual berries to 1/2 inch, purplish and silky-hairy, somewhat persistent.
Twig: Moderate to stout, brown but gray with pubescent, may be 4-angled.
Bark: Ashy gray with brown stripes and smooth, becoming gray-brown and rough.
Form: A shrub to 12 feet.
Looks like: wavyleaf silktassel - bearbrush - Wright silktassel

Additional Range Information: Garrya flavescens is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information