I think this is a shrub - my friend said it looked woody. I have no idea if it's very common and I should know it or not. Leaves are alternate. I don't remember any fragrance. It's growing in a front yard in Kitsilano.
Wow. Shrubby hare's-ear. Thanks, Ron. I don't feel bad about not knowing that. I have never heard of it, maybe even not seen it before. The page at How to grow Bupleurum fruticosum says that this flower arrangement is rare for shrubs. This one is hardy to zone 7 (I must have read that on some other page) and is evergreen. The referenced page said it gets untidy after about five years.
I had originally requested the ID from Alex Downie, Park Operations Manager with the City of Vancouver, as the shrub is next door to where he lives. When he didn't reply, I figured he was away or lost track of the query, so I posted it here, then sent him the name I learned. He has given me permission to post his comments to me: Yes, I planted that shrub 3 years ago from a 4” pot! It grew fast. This year it really came into its own! Bupleurum fruticosum is rare in our area. It may interest you to know it’s the only shrubby member of the carrot family (Apiaceae – old name Umbelliferae), a family of mostly herbaceous genera. Also called “Buplever”, this Mediterranean evergreen shrub is very wind and salt resistant and thus suitable for growing near the sea. It thrives in full-sun, yet grows well also in dry shade, much as does our native Mahonia repens, and the invasive Daphne laureola. As with many shrubs from French ‘guarrigues (maquis), it can be short-lived, like Cistus, so replanting or cutting back may be required after a few years to rejuvenate them once they get rangy. I had to look up guarriges (which now that I read it, seems vaguely familiar, as if I have said the same thing once before). From Garrigue - Wikipedia: Maquis Both garrigue and maquis are associated with the Mediterranean climate within the Mediterranean region. However, the distinction is not clear and term use is inconsistent. Maquis shrubland is broadly similar to garrigue, but the vegetation is more dense, being composed of numerous closely spaced shrubs. Maquis is associated with siliceous (acid) soils, unlike the relatively alkaline calcareous soils of the garrigue. Its plant communities are often suites associated with holm oak. Calcifuges such as Erica and Calluna are present in the maquis ecoregion.
When I found your initial posting here, I did a quick Google search "shrub yellow umbel", and the first picture result was Bupleurum fruticosum. Before returning here, I read one article about the shrub, as I had not heard much about it, but when I came back here to report my findings, Ron B had already identified the plant. So Google is pretty good at identifying some species.
Yep, works for me too. I tried a bunch of terms, but not that particular bunch. A lot of times I'll try to solve an ID posting just to see if I can figure out the search terms that will do it, but I didn't get it on my own query.
