Hello fellow plant nerds,
Let me introduce you to the endemic Santa Catalina Island Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus)! Pictured below are some of the last wild trees that exist on the Island (and therefore on the whole planet)!!!!
Pictured above: ironwood flowers in a grove on Silver Peak, on the west end of the island.
Catalina Ironwoods grow here and nowhere else on Earth (unless cultivated in landscaping or in botanic gardens of course), which means that they are endemic to Santa Catalina Island.
Pictured above: Ironwood grove upslope from Ben Weston Beach.
In fact, the California Native Plant Society gave the Catalina Ironwood a "1B.2 ranking", which means that they are considered "rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere" source.
These trees are some of my favorite. Hope you enjoyed!