Flora of North America species comparison

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Ceanothus diversifolius

Ceanothus ophiochilus

pine mat

Vail Lake ceanothus
Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) m, matlike. Shrubs, 1–2 m. Stems erect to ascending, not rooting at nodes; branchlets reddish brown to gray, terete, ± flexible to rigid, glabrate.
Stems

spreading, sometimes rooting at nodes;

branchlets green, sometimes tinged red, not thorn-tipped, usually round, sometimes angled, in cross section, flexible, 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.

both fascicled and not fascicled on same plant;

petiole 0–1 mm;

blade folded lengthwise abaxially, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 3–7 × 1–3 mm, base cuneate, margins not revolute, usually entire, rarely denticulate near apex, teeth 1–4, apex obtuse, rounded, or cuspidate, abaxial surface pale green, glabrate, adaxial surface pale to yellowish green, glabrate.
Inflorescences

axillary, umbel-like to racemelike, 1.3–4 cm.

axillary or terminal, 0.7–2 cm.
Flowers

sepals, petals, and nectary usually blue to pale blue, rarely white.

sepals, petals, and nectary pale blue or pink-tinged.
Capsules

4–5 mm wide, weakly lobed near apex;

valves smooth, crested.

3–4 mm wide, not lobed;

valves smooth, horns minute or absent, intermediate ridges absent.

Ceanothus diversifolius

Ceanothus ophiochilus
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–Apr.
Habitat Well-drained slopes and canyons, open to shaded sites, mixed evergreen and conifer forests. Rocky soils from deeply weathered gabbro or pyroxene substrates, slopes and ridges, chaparral.
Elevation 700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.) 600–700 m. (2000–2300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
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 ophiochilus, known only from the northern part of the Palomar Mountains in southwestern Riverside County, is distinctive by having small, more or less terete, fascicled leaves; it is known to hybridize with C. crassifolius at one locality.

Ceanothus ophiochilus is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 94. FNA vol. 12, p. 108.
Parent taxa Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Cerastes
Sibling taxa
C. americanus, C. arboreus, C. arcuatus, C. confusus, C. cordulatus, C. crassifolius, C. cuneatus, C. cyaneus, C. dentatus, C. divergens, C. fendleri, C. ferrisiae, C. foliosus, C. fresnensis, C. gloriosus, C. griseus, C. hearstiorum, C. herbaceus, C. impressus, C. incanus, C. integerrimus, C. jepsonii, C. lemmonii, C. leucodermis, C. maritimus, C. martini, C. masonii, C. megacarpus, C. microphyllus, C. oliganthus, C. ophiochilus, C. otayensis, C. palmeri, C. papillosus, C. parryi, C. parvifolius, C. pauciflorus, C. perplexans, C. pinetorum, C. prostratus, C. pumilus, C. purpureus, C. roderickii, C. sanguineus, C. sonomensis, C. spinosus, C. thyrsiflorus, C. tomentosus, C. velutinus, C. verrucosus
C. americanus, C. arboreus, C. arcuatus, C. confusus, C. cordulatus, C. crassifolius, C. cuneatus, C. cyaneus, C. dentatus, C. divergens, C. diversifolius, C. fendleri, C. ferrisiae, C. foliosus, C. fresnensis, C. gloriosus, C. griseus, C. hearstiorum, C. herbaceus, C. impressus, C. incanus, C. integerrimus, C. jepsonii, C. lemmonii, C. leucodermis, C. maritimus, C. martini, C. masonii, C. megacarpus, C. microphyllus, C. oliganthus, C. otayensis, C. palmeri, C. papillosus, C. parryi, C. parvifolius, C. pauciflorus, C. perplexans, C. pinetorum, C. prostratus, C. pumilus, C. purpureus, C. roderickii, C. sanguineus, C. sonomensis, C. spinosus, C. thyrsiflorus, C. tomentosus, C. velutinus, C. verrucosus
Synonyms C. decumbens
Name authority Kellogg: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 58. (1855) S. Boyd: T. S. Ross & Arnseth, Phytologia 70: 29, figs. 1–4. (1991)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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