''Ceanothus purpureus'', with the common name hollyleaf ceanothus, 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 ...

. It is endemic to northern California, where it is known only from the

Inner North Coast Ranges The Inner North Coast Ranges occur along the east slope of the outer Northern California Coast Ranges. The term ''inner'' is a reference to the greater distances of the mountain ranges from the Pacific Ocean, compared to the ''outer'' ranges that ...

north of the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

, mainly in Sonoma and Napa Counties. The largest remaining population of this shrub occurs on Mt. George near Napa, where it is protected in a botanical preserve.Napa Land Trust
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Description

The ''Ceanothus purpureus'' plant grows in woodland and

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

habitat. It is spreading or erect in form, approaching 2 meters in maximum height. The woody parts are gray to reddish brown in color. The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged and up to about 2.5 centimeters long. They are round to oval, wavy, and edged with spiny teeth, resembling the leaf of holly. The inflorescence is a small cluster of blue or purple flowers. The fruit is a horned capsule about half a centimeter long.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Ceanothus purpureus''USDA Plants Profile: Ceanothus purpureus''Ceanothus purpureus'' - Photo gallery
purpureus 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 1901 Taxa named by Willis Linn Jepson {{Rhamnaceae-stub