''Ceanothus gloriosus'' is a species of
shrub
A shrub (often also called a 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 ...
in the family
Rhamnaceae
The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales.
The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...
known by the common name Point Reyes ceanothus.
It is
endemic to
California, where it is known from the coastline of the
San Francisco Bay Area and areas north and south. It grows on seaside bluffs and the slopes of the coastal mountains. This shrub grows flat and spreading to erect, approaching two meters in maximum size. The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged and up to 5 centimeters long, rounded to oval in shape. The edges are toothed, the teeth sometimes spine-tipped. The
inflorescence is a small cluster of bright blue to purple flowers. The fruit is a horned capsule about 4 millimeters wide.
There are three varieties of this species:
*''C. g.'' var. ''exaltatus'' (glory bush) - found north of the Bay Area
*''C. g.'' var. ''gloriosus'' (glory mat) - smaller mat-forming variety known mainly from
Marin County
Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
*''C. g.'' var. ''porrectus'' (Mt. Vision ceanothus) - rare variety endemic to Marin County in the vicinity of
Point Reyes
Cultivation
The species, varieties, and
cultivars are widely grown by the
horticulture industry, and used in
gardens and
native plant landscaping.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
gloriosus
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
Plants described in 1937
Taxa named by John Thomas Howell
Garden plants of North America
Drought-tolerant plants
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Rhamnaceae-stub