''Ceanothus incanus'' 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 coast whitethorn. It is
endemic to
California, where it is known from the
San Francisco Bay Area through the
North Coast Ranges into the
Klamath Mountains.
Description
This thorny shrub grows erect to approach a maximum height of 4 meters. The woody parts are gray in color and waxy and somewhat hairy in texture. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged. They are generally oval in shape and usually smooth along the edges, but sometimes minutely toothed. The
inflorescence is a
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
-like cluster of white flowers up to about 7 centimeters long. The fruit is a rough, lobed capsule about half a centimeter long containing three seeds.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
incanus
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Klamath Mountains
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 1838
Taxa named by Asa Gray
Taxa named by John Torrey
{{Rhamnaceae-stub