Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus ferrisiae |
|
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blue blossom, blue blossom ceanothus |
coyote ceanothus |
|
Habit | 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. | Shrubs, 1–2 m. Stems erect, not rooting at nodes; branchlets grayish brown, glaucous, rigid, puberulent. |
Leaves | 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. |
not fascicled; petiole 1–3 mm; blade flat or ± cupped, widely elliptic to widely obovate, 11–30 × 7–18 mm, base obtuse to rounded, margins not revolute, usually denticulate, rarely entire, teeth 6–13, apex rounded, abaxial surface pale green, sparsely strigillose between veins, adaxial surface dark green, glabrate. |
Inflorescences | terminal, usually racemelike, rarely paniclelike, 2.5–9 cm. |
terminal, 1.2–1.5(–2) cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary usually pale to deep blue, rarely white. |
sepals and petals white; nectary dark blue to purple. |
Capsules | 3–4 mm wide, weakly lobed; valves smooth, viscid, not crested. |
7–9 mm wide, weakly lobed; valves ± smooth, horns subapical, prominent, erect, intermediate ridges absent. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus ferrisiae |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering Jan–May. |
Habitat | Sandy or rocky flats and slopes, maritime chaparral, open sites in mixed evergreen and conifer forests. | Serpentine soils and outcrops, chaparral, pine and oak woodlands. |
Elevation | 10–600 m. (0–2000 ft.) | 100–500 m. (300–1600 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
|
CA |
Discussion | 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.) |
Ceanothus ferrisiae, federally listed as endangered, occurs at a few localities in the foothills of the Mount Hamilton Range northeast of Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 90. | FNA vol. 12, p. 101. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Cerastes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. thyrsiflorus var. chandleri, C. thyrsiflorus var. repens | |
Name authority | Eschscholtz: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg Hist. Acad. 10: 285. (1826) — (as thyrsiflora) | McMinn: Madroño 2: 89. (1933) — (as ferrisae) |
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