Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus parvifolius |
|
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blue blossom, blue blossom ceanothus |
little-leaf 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, deciduous, 1–2.5 m. Stems ± erect or ascending, not rooting at nodes; branchlets green, not thorn-tipped, round in cross section, flexible, tomentulose, glabrescent. |
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 1.5–5 mm; blade flat, oblong-elliptic to elliptic, 6–25 × 3–13 mm, base cuneate, margins usually entire, sometimes denticulate distally, teeth 3–5, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, usually glabrous, veins sometimes strigillose, adaxial surface green, ± shiny, glabrous; pinnately veined or ± 3-veined from base. |
Inflorescences | terminal, usually racemelike, rarely paniclelike, 2.5–9 cm. |
axillary, racemelike, 3–8 cm. |
Flowers | sepals, petals, and nectary usually pale to deep blue, rarely white. |
sepals and petals pale to deep blue; nectary blue. |
Capsules | 3–4 mm wide, weakly lobed; valves smooth, viscid, not crested. |
4–5 mm wide, usually not lobed, sometimes weakly lobed; valves smooth, weakly viscid, usually not crested, sometimes weakly crested. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus |
Ceanothus parvifolius |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering May–Jul. |
Habitat | Sandy or rocky flats and slopes, maritime chaparral, open sites in mixed evergreen and conifer forests. | Open sites and flats, conifer forests. |
Elevation | 10–600 m. (0–2000 ft.) | 1300–2100 m. (4300–6900 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
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CA
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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 parvifolius is restricted to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada from Plumas County south to Tulare County. Putative hybrids with C. cordulatus have been reported (H. McMinn 1944). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 90. | FNA vol. 12, p. 84. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus | Rhamnaceae > Ceanothus > subg. Ceanothus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. thyrsiflorus var. chandleri, C. thyrsiflorus var. repens | C. integerrimus var. parvifolius |
Name authority | Eschscholtz: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg Hist. Acad. 10: 285. (1826) — (as thyrsiflora) | Trelease: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 1: 110. (1888) |
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