Flora of North America species comparison

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Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Ceanothus integerrimus

blue blossom, blue blossom ceanothus

deer brush
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, deciduous, 1.5–3 m. Stems ascending to erect, not rooting at nodes; branchlets pale green, not thorn-tipped, round in cross section, flexible, glabrous or strigillose.
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 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.
Inflorescences

terminal, usually racemelike, rarely paniclelike, 2.5–9 cm.

usually terminal, rarely axillary, racemelike or paniclelike, 5–25 cm.
Flowers

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

sepals, petals, and nectary usually white or pale to dark blue, rarely pink.
Capsules

3–4 mm wide, weakly lobed;

valves smooth, viscid, not crested.

4–5 mm wide, lobed;

valves smooth, viscid, not or weakly crested.
2n

= 24.

= 24.

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Ceanothus integerrimus
Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sandy or rocky flats and slopes, maritime chaparral, open sites in mixed evergreen and conifer forests. Rocky slopes, open sites, chaparral, conifer and mixed evergreen forests.
Elevation 10–600 m. (0–2000 ft.) 25–2600 m. (100–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

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.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 90. FNA vol. 12, p. 85.
Parent taxa Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms C. thyrsiflorus var. chandleri, C. thyrsiflorus var. repens C. andersonii, C. integerrimus var. californicus, C. integerrimus var. macrothyrsus, C. integerrimus var. puberulus
Name authority Eschscholtz: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg Hist. Acad. 10: 285. (1826) — (as thyrsiflora) Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 329. (1838)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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