Plants killed by fire; burl absent; twigs usually glabrous or sparsely short-hairy, sometimes sparsely glandular-hairy. Leaf blades lightly to strongly glaucous-green. Inflorescences: axis 1 mm diam. Ovaries glabrous, sometimes glandular-hairy. Fruits glabrous, sometimes glandular-hairy. Stones distinct.

Flowering winter-early spring. Chaparral, foothill woodlands; 200-600 m; Calif.

Subspecies glaucescens is widespread in the southern part of the outer North Coast Range. A shiny-green-leaved population with slender immature inflorescences in western Sonoma County (Annapolis), within the range of subsp. glaucescens, may be distinct.