About Ebenopsis confinis (Standl.) Britton & Rose
Ebenopsis confinis is a stiffly branched, drought-deciduous, multi-stemmed large shrub that grows into a small tree, with a spreading crown. Its bark ranges in color from gray-brown to reddish brown; it is smooth when young and becomes scaly as it ages. Twigs are moderately stout, and each leaf node bears a pair of 2 to 8 mm long stipular spines. The leaves are small, alternate, and bipinnately compound. Inflorescences develop from 1 to 3 peduncles per shoot, each peduncle measuring 3 to 8 mm long. Flower clusters hold approximately 17 to 35 individual flowers. Bracts are obovate to cuneate or spatulate, 0.6 to 1 mm in size, and persist through anthesis. The calyx is campanulate in shape. Flowers are small, yellowish white, fragrant, and arranged in fluffy, pom-pom-like clusters. The species' distinctive fruit is an oblong, woody-textured, blackish pod that contains 8 to 10 seeds. The seeds are large, measuring 11 to 16 mm long and 10 to 13 mm wide. Ebenopsis confinis is near-endemic to the Baja California Peninsula. It ranges from southeastern Baja California, in the area around Bahia de los Angeles, south to Baja California Sur, where it is locally abundant particularly on the Gulf of California slope and adjacent offshore islands. It also occurs along a stretch of coast in Sonora. This plant grows on desert hillsides and in thin chaparral below 250 m elevation, most often along washes.
