Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus hearstiorum |
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blue blossom, blue blossom ceanothus |
Hearst ceanothus, Hearst ranch buckbrush, Hearst's ceanothus |
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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, evergreen, 0.1–0.3 m, matlike or moundlike. |
Stems | spreading or prostrate, not rooting at nodes, some flowering branches ascending; branchlets green to reddish brown, not thorn-tipped, round or slightly angled in cross section, flexible, densely puberulent. |
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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. |
petiole 1–2 mm; blade flat to cupped, linear, oblong, or oblong-obovate, 8–20 × 2–10 mm, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire or obscurely glandular-denticulate, weakly revolute, glands 23–31, apex truncate or retuse, abaxial surface green, densely tomentulose, adaxial surface dark green, glandular-papillate and sometimes villosulous; pinnately veined, veins ± furrowed. |
Inflorescences | terminal, usually racemelike, rarely paniclelike, 2.5–9 cm. |
terminal or axillary, umbel-like or racemelike, 1–5 cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary usually pale to deep blue, rarely white. |
sepals, petals, and nectary deep blue. |
Capsules | 3–4 mm wide, weakly lobed; valves smooth, viscid, not crested. |
4–5 mm wide, not lobed to weakly lobed; valves smooth, not crested. |
2n | = 24. |
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Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus hearstiorum |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering Mar–Apr. |
Habitat | Sandy or rocky flats and slopes, maritime chaparral, open sites in mixed evergreen and conifer forests. | Consolidated alluvial or serpentine soils, maritime chaparral, coastal prairies. |
Elevation | 10–600 m. (0–2000 ft.) | 20–200 m. (100–700 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
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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 hearstiorum occurs in a small area of coastal bluffs in northern San Luis Obispo County, growing in close proximity to another local endemic, C. maritimus (subg. Cerastes). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 90. | FNA vol. 12, p. 93. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus |
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) | Hoover & Roof: Four Seasons 2(1): 4. (1966) |
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