''Ceanothus hearstiorum'' 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 names Hearst Ranch buckbrush and Hearst's ceanothus. This ''
Ceanothus'' is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
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 ...
, where it grows wild only on the hilly coastline of
San Luis Obispo County.
Description
This
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 ...
is generally wider than it is tall and often lies prostrate in a mat on the ground. The younger branches are hairy and somewhat feltlike in texture. The distinctive evergreen leaves are oval to almost rectangular and have a cupped, rippled surface. The edges are toothed with tiny glandular knobs and the shiny surface may be dotted with more knobs. The underside of the leaf is fuzzy to hairy. 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, stout stalks and the tiny flowers are lavender to blue with prominent yellow-anthered blue
stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
hearstiorum
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of San Luis Obispo County, California
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