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pine mat

barranca brush, wart-stem ceanothus, white coast ceanothus

Habit Shrubs, evergreen, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) m, matlike. Shrubs, 1–3 m. Stems erect to ascending, not rooting at nodes; branchlets grayish brown, rigid, tomentulose.
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.

alternate, not fascicled, often crowded;

petiole 1–3 mm;

blade flat to cupped, widely obovate to suborbiculate, 5–14 × 3–10 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins not revolute, entire to weakly denticulate distal to middle, teeth 9–16, apex truncate to retuse, abaxial surface pale green, sparsely strigillose, glabrescent, adaxial surface dark green, glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

axillary, 1–1.5 cm.

Flowers

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

sepals and petals white;

nectary black.

Capsules

4–5 mm wide, weakly lobed near apex;

valves smooth, crested.

4–6 mm wide, weakly lobed;

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

2n

= 24.

Ceanothus diversifolius

Ceanothus verrucosus

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jan–Apr.
Habitat Well-drained slopes and canyons, open to shaded sites, mixed evergreen and conifer forests. Slopes, coastal mesas, chaparral, pine woodlands.
Elevation 700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.) 20–800 m. (100–2600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 verrucosus occurs from San Diego County to the foothills of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir and Cedros Island in northern Baja California, Mexico; its habitat is threatened by development and urbanization throughout its range.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 94. FNA vol. 12, p. 97.
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. 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
Synonyms C. decumbens
Name authority Kellogg: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 58. (1855) Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 267. (1838)
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