Ceanothus lemmonii |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
|
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Lemmon's ceanothus |
blue blossom, blue blossom ceanothus |
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Habit | Shrubs, evergreen, 0.5–1 m. Stems ascending to spreading, not rooting at nodes; branchlets pale green to grayish green and glaucous, not thorn-tipped, round in cross section, flexible to ± rigid, sparsely villosulous. | Shrubs, sometimes arborescent, evergreen, 0.5–6 m. Stems erect, usually ascending to arcuate, rarely prostrate, not rooting at nodes; branchlets green, not thorn-tipped, angled in cross section, flexible, not tuberculate, sparsely puberulent or glabrous. |
Leaves | petiole 2–6 mm; blade flat, narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 13–35 × 6–15 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins serrulate to denticulate most of length, not revolute, not wavy, teeth 34–45, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface pale green to grayish green and glaucous, villosulous, especially on veins, adaxial surface green, strigillose; pinnately veined or weakly 3-veined from base. |
petiole 3–10 mm; blade flat to cupped, elliptic to ovate, 10–40(–50) × 5–15(–20) mm, base obtuse to rounded, margins denticulate to serrulate, usually not revolute, sometimes incompletely revolute, teeth glandular, 23–48, apex obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, sparsely puberulent to villosulous or glabrate, veins prominently raised, puberulent to villosulous, adaxial surface dark green, glabrate; 3-veined from base. |
Inflorescences | axillary or terminal, umbel-like to racemelike, 2–6.5 cm. |
terminal, usually racemelike, rarely paniclelike, 2.5–9 cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary pale to deep blue. |
sepals, petals, and nectary usually pale to deep blue, rarely white. |
Capsules | 3–4 mm wide, lobed near apex; valves smooth, crested. |
3–4 mm wide, weakly lobed; valves smooth, viscid, not crested. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Ceanothus lemmonii |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–May. | Flowering Mar–Jun. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes and flats, open sites, conifer forests, oak and pine woodlands. | Sandy or rocky flats and slopes, maritime chaparral, open sites in mixed evergreen and conifer forests. |
Elevation | 200–1300 m. (700–4300 ft.) | 10–600 m. (0–2000 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA
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CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
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Discussion | Ceanothus lemmonii occurs in the inner North Coast Ranges, Klamath Mountains, and the western slope of the Cascade Range and northern Sierra Nevada. H. McMinn (1944) reported putative hybrids with C. foliosus, C. integerrimus, and C. oliganthus var. sorediatus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus occurs along the coast from Coos County, Oregon, south to Santa Barbara County, California, and disjunctly near Eréndira, Baja California. A wide range of growth forms characterize this species and the closely related C. griseus, including plants ranging from almost prostrate to arborescent, sometimes with single trunks. Prostrate plants from several maritime bluffs along the California coast have been called C. thyrsiflorus var. repens McMinn; they retain their stature under cultivation. Named hybrids include C. ×regius (Jepson) McMinn (C. thyrsiflorus × C. papillosus) and C. ×vanrensselaeri Roof (C. thyrsiflorus × C. incanus). H. McMinn (1944) reported hybrids with C. foliosus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 94. | FNA vol. 12, p. 90. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. thyrsiflorus var. chandleri, C. thyrsiflorus var. repens | |
Name authority | Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 5: 192. (1889) — (as lemmoni) | Eschscholtz: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg Hist. Acad. 10: 285. (1826) — (as thyrsiflora) |
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