''Ceanothus crassifolius'' is a species of flowering

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

known by the common name hoaryleaf ceanothus. This ''

Ceanothus ''Ceanothus'' is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceanothus. ''"Ceanothus" ...

'' is found throughout the coastal mountain ranges of the southern half of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and its range extends into

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

.''Jepson Manual'' (1993) University of California, Berkeley
. accessed 3.23.2013

Distribution

''Ceanothus crassifolius'' typically occurs in coastal and montane California chaparral habitat associations. Common flora associates are

Toyon ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (, more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a perennial shrub native to Coastal California. It is the sole species in the genus ''Heteromeles''. Description Toyon typically grows from , r ...

(''Heteromeles arbutifolia'') and Hollyleaf cherry (''Prunus ilicifolia'').C. Michael Hogan (2008) ''Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)'', GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg
The mountain range systems it is found in include the Southern

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte County, California, Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Trans ...

, the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of Southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa Ba ...

, and the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Range ...

Description

''Ceanothus crassifolius'' is an erect, spreading shrub which can exceed in height. The branches become long and the younger twigs are fuzzy with white or light brown hairs. The small evergreen leaves have widely spaced teeth along the edges and the undersides are lighter in color and coated with hairs. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s are borne on short stalks less than three centimeters long and are small and rounded with tiny white flowers. They can be quite dense and can cover branches thickly, or they may be sparse. The flowers are white, though may have a yellowish or pink tint. The fruit is a horned capsule less than a centimeter wide.

References

External links

CalFlora database: ''Ceanothus crassifolius'' (hoaryleaf ceanothus)Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Ceanothus crassifolius''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Ceanothus crassifolius'' (hoaryleaf ceanothus)''Ceanothus crassifolius'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12054445 crassifolius Flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Taxa named by John Torrey