Sandpaper Bush Leaves. Mortonia scabrella.	Sandpaper Bush Flowers. Mortonia scabrella.
Sandpaper Bush. Seed Pods. Mortonia scabrella.	Sandpaper Bush. Seed Pods. Mortonia scabrella.

Sandpaper Bush. Mortonia scabrella, Staff Vine Or Bittersweet Family ( Celastraceae ), Sandpaper Bush. Also called; Rio Grande Saddlebush, Utah Mortonia. We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share images and information with Wikipedia. Mortonia scabrella is a scabrous evergreen perennial shrub about 4 - 6 feet tall. Height: Up To About 4 - 6 feet tall. Flowers: White, about 1/4 inch wide and about 1/2 inch long, 5 - petaled flowers clustered on an inflorescence about 2 to 4 inches long with crowded bracteate racemes or raceme-like thyrses terminating on some of the branches. Blooming Time: April - June. Fruit: Small, dry, oblong, cylindric, a light brown to light green color, capsule-like but indehiscent. Leaves: Dull green, oval, leathery, alternate, ascending, and rough-textured, with a sandpaper feel. Found: Found native in southwestern USA. Elevation: 2,953 and 6,890 Feet. Habitat: Joshua Tree Woodlands, Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken April 19, 2008. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Quick Notes: Height: Up to 20 - 40 inches tall with similar spread. Flowers: Orange, flower heads appear at the ends of 12 - 18 inch light green stems. Flowers are up to 2 1/2" across, consisting of ray florets with uneven cut margins, and about 12 orangish disk florets. Flowering Time: March - May. Sometimes all summer. Leaves: Compound, Dark Green, about 5 inches long, toothed leaflets about 3 inches long, ovate. Found: Native to Mexico, and Peru. Hardiness: USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F) USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 �C (40 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline) 7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline) Sun Exposure: Full Sun Elevation: Naturally from 0 - 5,000 Feet. Habitat: Chalky/alkaline, Dry, Sandy, Well-drained/light soils. An ideal landscape plant in Arizona. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photo Taken April 19, 2008. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, near Tucson, Arizona.

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