Ceanothus diversifolius |
Ceanothus microphyllus |
|
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pine mat |
littleleaf buckbrush, sandflat ceanothus |
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Habit | Shrubs, evergreen, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) m, matlike. | Shrubs, deciduous, 0.4–0.7 m. Stems erect to ascending, not rooting at nodes; branchlets reddish green or yellow-green, not thorn-tipped, round in cross section, flexible, usually puberulent, sometimes strigillose. |
Stems | spreading, sometimes rooting at nodes; branchlets green, sometimes tinged red, not thorn-tipped, usually round, sometimes angled, in cross section, flexible, puberulent. |
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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. |
often fascicled; petiole 0.5–1 mm; blade flat, elliptic, ovate-elliptic, or narrowly obovate, 2–10 × 1–6 mm, base cuneate, margins entire or weakly denticulate distally, not wavy, teeth 5–9, apex rounded or obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, puberulent on veins, adaxial surface green, glabrous; pinnately veined or 3-veined from base (venation obscure). |
Inflorescences | axillary, umbel-like to racemelike, 1.3–4 cm. |
axillary or terminal, umbel-like or ± racemelike, 1–3 cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary usually blue to pale blue, rarely white. |
sepals, petals, and nectary white. |
Capsules | 4–5 mm wide, weakly lobed near apex; valves smooth, crested. |
3–4.5 mm wide, lobed; valves smooth, not crested. |
Ceanothus diversifolius |
Ceanothus microphyllus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Mar–Jun. |
Habitat | Well-drained slopes and canyons, open to shaded sites, mixed evergreen and conifer forests. | Sandy flats, shrublands, pine-oak woodlands. |
Elevation | 700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.) | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA
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AL; FL; GA
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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.) |
Short-statured plants of Ceanothus microphyllus with ovate-elliptic leaves, evident venation, and racemelike inflorescences have been called C. serpyllifolius (M. Van Rensselaer and H. McMinn 1942; W. H. Duncan and J. T. Kartesz 1981). Ceanothus serpyllifolius is treated here as part of C. microphyllus, because of continuous variation in leaf size, shape, and inflorescence architecture. Ceanothus serpyllifolius also has been applied to small-leaved, short-statured plants of C. americanus, some of which may be hybrids between that species and C. microphyllus (N. C. Coile 1988). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 94. | FNA vol. 12, p. 83. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. decumbens | C. serpyllifolius |
Name authority | Kellogg: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 58. (1855) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 154. (1803) |
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