Ceanothus crassifolius description

Ceanothus crassifolius

J. Torrey, Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4: 75. 1857

hoaryleaf ceanothus

C. crassifolius var. planus L. Abrams; Ceanothus verrucosus T. Nuttall ex J. Torrey & A. Gray var. crassifolius K. Brandegee

Description:

Habit: Shrubs 2.0--3.5 m.

Stems: erect, much branched, not rooting at nodes; twigs gray to brown or white, round, smooth, tomentose, rusty or not, rigid.

Leaves: evergreen, opposite; not clustered; stipules thick, persistent; petioles 2--6 mm; blades broadly elliptic, sometimes elliptic-obovate, 1.5--3.0 x 0.7--1.5 cm, bases obtuse to rounded, evenly 1-veined, margins revolute strongly o r not, usually coarsely and sharply toothed, tips obtuse, abaxially white-tomentose to +/- canescent, adaxially olive-green, glabrous, minutely roughened, plane.

Inflorescences: axillary or terminal , umbel-like clusters, 1.4--2.0 cm.

Flowers: white.

Fruits: globose, 6--8 mm broad, smooth, horns lateral, prominent; valve crests 0.

Cytology: 2 n = 24 (M. A. Nobs 1963)

Flowering: in early spring--early summer

Habitat: dry ridges, slopes; 1000-1200 m.

Range: Calif.; Mexico in Baja California, Guadalupe Island?. View Distribution Map.

Other Information:

Less tomentose plants, in the northern portion of the range, with leaves +/- plane and leaf margins less revolute have been called C. crassifolius var. planus L. Abrams. At May 31, 1994 Rancho Santa Ana Symposium, Gary Wallace [of RSA] commented that C. crassifolius is reported on Guadalupe Island. Check on this.

If you have any comments or information regarding this species, please send mail to Dr. Schmidt.