Ceanothus megacarpus
Ceanothus integerrimus
big pod ceanothus
deer brush
sometimes alternate, not fascicled, sometimes crowded;
petiole 1–5 mm;
blade flat to cupped, oval, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 10–25(–33) × 5–19 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins thick, usually entire, rarely remotely denticulate, teeth 5–7, apex obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, glabrous or sparsely strigillose on veins, adaxial surface green, glabrous.
not fascicled;
petiole 3–12 mm;
blade flat, lanceolate, elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or ovate, (10–)20–80 × 10–45 mm, base rounded, margins entire or denticulate distally, teeth 3–5, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, glabrate or puberulent, especially on veins, sometimes glabrescent, adaxial surface green, dull, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; usually 3-veined from base, rarely pinnately veined.
axillary, 1–2 cm.
usually terminal, rarely axillary, racemelike or paniclelike, 5–25 cm.
sepals and petals white;
nectary blue to black.
sepals, petals, and nectary usually white or pale to dark blue, rarely pink.
7–12 mm wide, not lobed;
valves smooth or rugulose to weakly ridged near apex;
horns subapical, prominent, erect, often rugulose, or weakly developed to absent, intermediate ridges absent.
4–5 mm wide, lobed;
valves smooth, viscid, not or weakly crested.
= 24.
= 24.
Ceanothus megacarpus
Ceanothus integerrimus
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Some populations of Ceanothus megacarpus are polymorphic for leaf arrangement. Plants assignable to either var. insularis or var. megacarpus based on leaf arrangement may have fruits intermediate to both varieties. Putative hybrids between var. megacarpus and C. cuneatus were reported by H. McMinn (1944), but their variable leaf arrangement (alternate and opposite on the same plant) may also represent intermediates between var. insularis and var. megacarpus.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
G. T. Benson (1930) recognized four varieties in Ceanothus integerrimus, based on flower color, leaf blade shape, venation, and indumentum. With the exception of regional clines in indumentum density, N. C. Coile (1988) was unable to detect consistent patterns of variation correlated with ecological or geographical distribution. The types of C. integerrimus (D. Douglas in 1831) and C. andersonii (C. C. Parry in 1888) are notable in that they bear oblong leaf blades with one principal vein from the base; the basal pair of secondary veins are shorter than those distal to it and relatively short compared to those in leaves elsewhere in the species. This venation is restricted to only a few specimens from near Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, and has not been seen since the collection by Parry. W. L. Jepson (1909–1943, vol. 2) suggested that the venation pattern may be correlated with the oblong leaf shape that is shown by the type specimens.
Young shoots of Ceanothus integerrimus were used by Native Americans in basketry and for arrow foreshafts (D. E. Moerman 1998).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves mostly alternate; capsule valves rugulose to weakly ridged near apex; horns prominent. | var. megacarpus |
1. Leaves mostly opposite; fruit valves smooth; horns weakly developed or absent. | var. insularis |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
