''Ceanothus integerrimus'', known by the common name deer brush, is a species of woody

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 ...

in the family

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large Family (biology), 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 specie ...

, native to the western

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

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 ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and Washington. It grows in montane chaparral and woodlands regions, in hardwood forests, and in fir, spruce, and

Ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

plant communities A plant community is a collection or Association (ecology), association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The comp ...

, being most abundant in the

California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...

and

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

. akley/ref> epson/ref>

Description

''Ceanothus integerrimus'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub from tall with an open ascending to erect branch habit. epson/ref> It is a drought-tolerant phanerophyte. Nitrogen-fixing actinomycete bacteria form root nodules on ''Ceanothus'' roots. oward/ref> Its stems are round yellow to pale green in color with either small soft to straight stiff sharp hairs parallel to or in contact with the surface of the stem,. epson/ref> The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are glossy, deciduous and 2.5–8 cm long. Leaves grow alternately on stems. The leaf petioles are less than 15 mm in length and the stipules are also deciduous. The leaf blade is lanceolate, elliptical or oblong to widely ovate in shape. Leaves can have one to two ribs from the base; they are also generally thin and have an acute to obtuse tip. Leaf margins are either entire or slightly dentate, more so towards the leaf tip. Leaf surfaces are light green and are ciliate or contain hairs visible only by magnification. The lower leaves are also hairy and lighter in color. epson/ref> The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are white or blue and rarely pink in color. They are produced in raceme clusters of 15 centimeters or less and contain both male and female organs. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a sticky valved capsule about 4–5 mm in diameter with a slight crest; the seed is ejected from the capsule after splitting. epson/ref> It regenerates by seed, shoot formation from the crown and stem, and also by layering when branches come in contact with soil. oward/ref> riffin/ref> It has been suggested that some ''Ceanothus'' species do not resprout from the root after the crown has burned as a result of fire where most other species are able to regenerate. Pollination of flowers is primarily by bees. Seed production occurs after about four years of age. High densities of seeds occur in the upper soil of ''Ceanothus'' communities. Seeds remain viable up to 24 years or more.

Seed dormancy Seed dormancy is an evolutionary adaptation that prevents seeds from germinating during unsuitable ecological conditions that would typically lead to a low probability of seedling survival. Dormant seeds do not germinate in a specified period of ...

is broken by the removal of the seed coat by fire

scarification Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/ branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In t ...

or physical disturbance. oward/ref> riffin/ref> Seeds germinate best at about 1 inch soil depth in shady areas in the spring following fire scarification. oward/ref> riffin/ref>

Varieties

There are four weakly defined varieties of ''Ceanothus integerrimus''. Identification is primarily by leaf morphology and flower color: epson/ref> oward/ref> riffin/ref> *''Ceanothus integerrimus'' var. ''californicus''. Leaves elliptic, lanceolate or oblong to ovate in shape and are three ribbed, from the leaf base. Leaf surfaces have small hairs and the undersides are less hairy than the surface. Flowers generally white or blue. *''Ceanothus integerrimus'' var. ''integerrimus''. *''Ceanothus integerrimus'' var. ''macrothyrsus''. Leaf blades oblong or ovate. Leaf bases are three ribbed at the base. Leaf surfaces are pubescent on both the surface and undersides. Flowers are white. *''Ceanothus integerrimus'' var. ''puberulus''. Leaf blades elliptical or lanceolate and oblong to obovate in shape. Leaf base is three ribbed from the leaf base. Leaves are also pubescent on both sides. Flowers white. ''Ceanothus integerrimus'' hybridizes with ''Ceanothus tomentosus'' (Lemmon's ceanothus) and ''Ceanothus cordulatus'' (mountain whitethorn).

Ecology

''C. integerrimus'' is an important part of forest regeneration after

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s by providing nitrogen. It does this by creating nitrogen rich patches in the soil. The nitrogen source is created by its root association with nitrogen fixing bacteria. Deer and specifically

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

feed on ''C. integerrimus''.

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

s and

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New ...

have also been observed eating the stems and seeds. Nutritionally leaves are a good source of protein and stems and leaves also contain high levels of calcium. However, nutritional quality of leaves is seasonal and appears to be best from fall to early spring. oward/ref>

Uses

Indigenous peoples of California Indigenous peoples of California, commonly known as Indigenous Californians or Native Californians, are a diverse group of nations and peoples that are indigenous to the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and afte ...

use the branches to treat women after childbirth. The

Miwok The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native Americans in the United States, Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok lan ...

Indians of

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

also use the branches of this plant in

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

complex

basket A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff Fiber, fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, Stolon, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials ...

s. oward/ref> The Concow tribe call the tree hē′-bē ( Konkow language).

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

ranchers will claim that cattle do immensely well on this plant during their seasonal

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

References

Bibliography

# Debano, L. F. & Conrad, C. E. (1978). The Effect of Fire on Nutrients in the Chaparral Ecosystem. ''Ecology'' 59 (3): 489–497. # Gibbens, R. R. P. & Schultz, A. M. (1963). Brush manipulation on a deer winter range. ''California Fish and Game'' 49 (2): 95–118. 976 # Griffin, James R. (1982). Pine seedlings, native ground cover, and Lolium multiflorum on Marble-Cone burn, Santa Lucia Range, CA. ''Madrono'' 29 (3): 177–188.
Jepson Flora Treatment: ''Ceanothus integerrimus''
# Howard, Janet L. (1997). System ''Ceanothus integerrimus'' In: Fire Effects Information nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory

# Munz, P. A. & Keck, D. D. (1959). ''A California Flora with Supplement'' p. 973. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles. # Moerman, D. ''Native American Ethnobotany''. Timber Press, Oregon: 1988. # Oakley B. B., North, M. P., & Franklin, J. F. (2003). The effects of fire on soil nitrogen associated with patches of the actinorhizal shrub ''Ceanothus cordulatus''. ''Plant and Soil'' 254: 35–46. # Oswald, V. H. & Ahart, L. (1994). ''Manual of the Vascular Plants of Butte County, California'' p. 192. Native Plant Society, Sacramento. # Raven, P. H. & Axelrod, D. I. (1977). ''Origin and relationships of the California Flora''. University of California Publications in Botany 72. Sacramento: University of California Press. # Russell, C. P. (1932). Seasonal Migration of Mule Deer. ''Ecological Monographs'' 2:1 pp. 1–46.

External links

USDA Plant Profiles: ''Ceanothus integerrimus''Jepson Interchange – ''Ceanothus integerrimus'''Ceanothus integerrimus' – Photo Gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5055724 Ceanothus, integerrimus Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Oregon Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of California Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora without expected TNC conservation status Taxa named by George Arnott Walker Arnott Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker