''Ceanothus crassifolius'' is a species of flowering

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 tree ...

known by the common name hoaryleaf ceanothus. This ''

Ceanothus ''Ceanothus'' is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family ( Rhamnaceae). Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceanothus. ''"Ceanothu ...

'' is found throughout the coastal mountain ranges of the southern half of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and its range extends into

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

.''Jepson Manual'' (1993) University of California, Berkeley
. accessed 3.23.2013

Distribution

''Ceanothus crassifolius'' typically occurs in coastal and montane California chaparral habitat associations. Common flora associates are

Toyon ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (; more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to extreme southwest Oregon, California, and the Baja California Peninsula. It is the sole species in the genus ...

(''Heteromeles arbutifolia'') and Hollyleaf cherry (''Prunus ilicifolia'').C. Michael Hogan (2008) ''Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)'', GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg
The mountain range systems it is found in include the Southern

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. ...

, the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa ...

, and the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

Description

''Ceanothus crassifolius'' is an erect, spreading shrub which can exceed in height. The branches become long and the younger twigs are fuzzy with white or light brown hairs. The small evergreen leaves have widely spaced teeth along the edges and the undersides are lighter in color and coated with hairs. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

s are borne on short stalks less than three centimeters long and are small and rounded with tiny white flowers. They can be quite dense and can cover branches thickly, or they may be sparse. The flowers are white, though may have a yellowish or pink tint. The fruit is a horned capsule less than a centimeter wide.

References

External links

CalFlora database: ''Ceanothus crassifolius'' (hoaryleaf ceanothus)Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Ceanothus crassifolius''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Ceanothus crassifolius'' (hoaryleaf ceanothus)''Ceanothus crassifolius'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12054445 crassifolius Flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Taxa named by John Torrey