''Ceanothus purpureus'', with the common name hollyleaf ceanothus, is a species of shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found else ...

to northern

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 ...

, 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, 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 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 ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

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