Ceanothus greggii description

Ceanothus greggii

A. Gray, Pl. Wright, 2: 228. 1853

Description:

Habit: Shrubs to 2 m.

Stems: erect, intricately branched or not, not rooting at nodes; twigs gray, round, smooth, tomentose, rigid.

Leaves: evergreen, opposite, not clustered; stipules thickened, persistent; petioles to 3 mm; blades elliptic-oblong, broadly elliptic, round-ovate, oblanceolate, obovate to broadly obovate, 0.7--2.0 x 0.4--1.0 cm, bases cuneate, obtuse o r rounded, 1-veined, margins not revolute, entire or dentate, tips obtuse to truncate, abaxially gray-canescent, adaxially gray to yellow-green, glabrate or canescent, plane or concave.

Inflorescences: axillary, umbel-like, to 3.0 cm.

Flowers: white, cream, blue or fading blue.

Fruits:globose, 3--5 mm broad, smooth, horns minute, lateral or 0; valve crests 0.

Varieties 4: (4 in the flora): North America, Mexico

1. Shrubs 2--5 dm; flowers blue or fading blue; leaf blades elliptic- oblong, margins entire or with 1--3 small teeth near base usually adaxially plane, grayish both surfaces; Utah: a. C. greggi var. franklinii

1. Shrubs 1.0--2.00 m; flowers white

2. Leaf blades elliptic-oblong, margins entire or with 1--3 small teeth near base usually adaxially plane, grayish both surfaces: b. C. greggii var. greggii.

2. Leaf blades usually adaxially concave

3. Leaf blades oblong-elliptical, round-ovate to oblanceolate, margins entire to dentate, abaxially gray, adaxially grayish green: c. C. greggii var. vestitus.

3. Leaf blades round to widely elliptic or obovate, sharp-toothed, usually near tip, or entire, adaxially yellow-green: d. C. greggii var. perplexans.

a. Ceanothus greggii A. Gray var. franklinii

S. L. Welsh Rhodora 95: 413-14 1993

Description:

Habit: Shrubs 2--5 dm

Stems: erect, intricately branched; twigs gray, round, tomentose, rigid.

Leaves: evergreen, opposite, stipules thickened, persistent; petioles to 3 mm; blades elliptic-oblong, 0.9--1.6 x 0.4--0.7 cm, margins entire or 1--3 teeth near base, abaxially gray, canescent, adaxially gray, canescent, usually plane.

Inflorescences: axillary, umbel-like, to 3.0 cm.

Flowers: Blue or fading blue.

Fruits: 3--5 mm broad, smooth, horns minute, lateral or 0; valve crests 0.

Cytology:

Flowering:

Habitat: rimrock plant in pinyon-juniper & assoc. shrublands

Flowering: in spring

Habitat: desert mountains

Range: Utah. in Grand and San Juan Cos. View Distribution Map.

Other Information:

Since I've [C.Schmidt, Nov. 1995] only examined one specimen, I include the following information from the publication. "var. nov. Affinis var. vestito (Greene) McMinn sed in staturis inferioribus et petalis plerumque cyaneis differt. This low ceanothus is often a rimrock plant in pinyon-juniper & assoc. shrublands in Grand & San Juan Cos. Seldom surpasses 5 dm & typically flowers blue or fade that color. Plants are isolated geographically from remainder of species in Utah."

1. Shrbs 2-5 dm, intricately branched; fls blue or fading bl; CO R. drainage system [se UT.] = C.g. var franklinii;

1. Shrbs 10-20 dm, not intric. branched, fls white & drying w.; Virgin R. drainage system & environs [sw UT} = C.g. var. greggii. [S. L. Welsh 1993]

b. Ceanothus greggii A. Gray var. greggii

desert ceanothus

C. australis J. N. Rose; C. verrucosus T. Nuttall ex J. Torrey & A. Gray var. greggii K. Brandegee

Description:

Habit: shrubs 1.0--2.0 m.

Stems: erect, not intricately branched; twigs gray, not changing in age, round, tomentose, rigid.

Leaves:evergreen, opposite, stipules thickened, persistent; petioles to 3 mm; blades elliptic-oblong, 0.9--1.6 x 0.4--0.7 cm, margins entire or 1--3 teeth near base, abaxially gray, canescent, adaxially gray, canescent, usually plane.

Inflorescences: axillary, umbel-like, to 3.0 cm.

Flowers: white or cream

Fruits: 3--5 mm broad, smooth, horns minute, lateral or 0; valve crests 0.

Cytology:

Flowering: in spring

Habitat: desert mountains

Range: Ariz., Nev., N. Mex., Tex., Utah; Mexico View Distribution Map.

Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus

(E. L. Greene) H. McMinn, Ill. Man. Calif. Shrubs 312. 1939

Mohave ceanothus

Ceanothus greggii A. Gray var. orbicularis E. K. Kelso; Ceanothus greggii A. Gray subsp. vestitus (E. Greene) R. Thorne

Description:

Habit: Shrubs 1.0--2.0 m.

Stems: erect, not intricately branched; twigs gray, round, tomentose, rigid.

Leaves: evergreen, opposite, stipules thickened, persistent; petioles to 3 mm; blades elliptic-ovate to oblanceolate, 0.7--1.5 x 0.4--0.7 cm, entire, to toothed, adaxially gray-green, canescent, usually concave.

Inflorescences: axillary, umbel-like, to 3.0 cm.

Flowers: white--cream

Fruits: 3--5 mm broad, smooth, horns minute, lateral or 0; valve crests 0.

Cytology:

Flowering: in spring.

Habitat: desert slopes, Joshua-tree & pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush scrub; under 2300 m.

Range: Ariz., Calif, Nev., Utah. View Distribution Map.

d. Ceanothus greggii A. Gray var. perplexans

(W. Trelease) W. L. Jepson, Man. fl. pl. Calif. 623. 1925

cupleaf ceanothus

Ceanothus greggii A. Gray subsp. perplexans (W. Trelease) M. Beauchamp; Ceanothus perplexans W. Trelease

Description:

Habit: Shrubs 1.0--2.0 m.

Stems: erect, intricately branched or not; twigs gray, round, tomentose, rigid.

Leaves:evergreen, opposite, stipules thickened, persistent; petioles to 3 mm; blades round to widely elliptic or obovate, 1.0--2.0 x 0.4--0.7 cm, sharp-toothed, usually near tip, or entire, adaxially yellow-green, canescent, usually conc ave.

Inflorescences:axillary, umbel-like, to 3.0 cm.

Flowers: white--cream

Fruits: 3--5 mm broad, smooth, horns minute, lateral or 0; valve crests 0.

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

Flowering: in spring.

Habitat: chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland, yellow pine forest; below 2100 m

Range: Ariz., Calif; Mexico, n Baja California. View Distribution Map.

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