The Silk Tassel Bush (Garrya elliptica) is a flowering, evergreen plant in the Garryaceae family. It is also known as the Coast Silk Tassel Bush.
It is native to the coastal regions of California and southern Oregon in America.
It grows to 2-5 metres (7-16 feet) tall.
The waxy leaves are tough and leathery, glossy green on top although paler and duller on the underside.
The flowers are inflorescences that cascade downward as catkins (cylindrical flower clusters). The male catkins are grey-green up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, whereas the female catkins are silver-grey and shorter.
It produces small purple-black fruit with tiny, dark seeds.
The Silk Tassel Bush blooms in late winter and early spring.
Photographed in the Paris Botanical Garden, France, October 2022.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
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