Toyon and Hollywood?

It appears to be a favorable winter for the fruiting of red Toyon berries as patches of red have appeared on our chaparral hills. The berries while technically edible are very unpleasant if eaten raw.   Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon, or California Holly is native to coastal ranges of California and southern Oregon.   Although it grows on the hills around Hollywood that is apparently not the reason for the name.

California Holly: How Hollywood Didn’t Get its Name | Natural History Museum (nhm.org)

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