Ceanothus diversifolius |
Ceanothus confusus |
|
---|---|---|
pine mat |
Rincon Ridge ceanothus |
|
Habit | Shrubs, evergreen, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) m, matlike. | Shrubs, 0.1–0.6 m, matlike to moundlike. |
Stems | spreading, sometimes rooting at nodes; branchlets green, sometimes tinged red, not thorn-tipped, usually round, sometimes angled, in cross section, flexible, puberulent. |
prostrate, spreading, or weakly ascending, often rooting at proximal nodes; branchlets brown to reddish brown, ± rigid, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. |
Leaves | petiole 3–11 mm; blade flat, elliptic to widely ovate, 12–45 × 6–20 mm, base obtuse to rounded, margins serrulate to denticulate, not revolute, usually not wavy, sometimes wavy, teeth 27–42, apex ± obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface pale green, pilosulous, adaxial surface green, pilosulous; usually pinnately veined, rarely 3-veined from base. |
not fascicled, not crowded, shorter than internodes; petiole 0–2 mm; blade flat to ± cupped, elliptic to ± oblong or obovate, 10–20 × 5–14 mm, base obtuse to cuneate, margins thick or slightly revolute, slightly wavy, sharply dentate to spinose-dentate, teeth 3–9, apex acute or retuse, with an apical tooth, abaxial surface grayish green, strigillose on veins, adaxial surface green, dull, glabrous. |
Inflorescences | axillary, umbel-like to racemelike, 1.3–4 cm. |
axillary, 1.5–3 cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary usually blue to pale blue, rarely white. |
sepals, petals, and nectary blue, lavender, or purple. |
Capsules | 4–5 mm wide, weakly lobed near apex; valves smooth, crested. |
4–6 mm wide, lobed; valves smooth, crested, horns subapical, prominent, erect, intermediate ridges weakly developed. |
2n | = 24. |
|
Ceanothus diversifolius |
Ceanothus confusus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Feb–May. |
Habitat | Well-drained slopes and canyons, open to shaded sites, mixed evergreen and conifer forests. | Rocky soils apparently derived from serpentine or volcanic substrates, chaparral, oak and pine woodlands, conifer forests. |
Elevation | 700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.) | 70–1000 m. (200–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA
|
CA |
Discussion | Ceanothus diversifolius occurs in the North Coast Ranges and the western slopes of the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada; it often forms mats to two meters wide. Marginal teeth on young leaves are notable in having more or less persistent, narrowly conic glands, not seen elsewhere in Ceanothus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Ceanothus confusus is weakly defined and perhaps best treated as a part of C. divergens (L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris 1923–1960, vol. 3). At least some populations in the Hood Mountains (Napa and Sonoma counties) include plants with the habit and leaf morphology of both species, while other, more uniform populations appear intermediate; it remains to be determined whether this pattern is a product of primary or secondary intergradation. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 94. | FNA vol. 12, p. 104. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Cerastes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. decumbens | |
Name authority | Kellogg: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 58. (1855) | J. T. Howell: Leafl. W. Bot. 2: 160. (1939) |
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