Ceanothus cuneatus
Buck brush
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ceanothus cuneatus (Buck brush) is a native California shrub in the Rhamnaceae family.
Buck brush is a California native shrub found in various bioregions in chaparral and oak woodlands at elevations from 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white to pale blue or lavender flowers in compact clusters about 1 to 2 centimeters long. Growing with ascending to spreading stems 1 to 2 meters tall, it forms an open, mound-like shape with brown to gray-brown twigs. Its evergreen leaves are opposite, elliptic to nearly round, 6 to 30 millimeters long with dull green upper surfaces and paler undersides, featuring entire or slightly toothed margins. The distinctive fruit is roughly 4 to 6 millimeters wide with subtle ridges and tiny hornlike projections.
Habitat and range
California counties: Ventura, Yolo, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Riverside, Los Angeles, Siskiyou, Modoc, Tuolumne, San Benito, Tulare, Fresno, San Bernardino, San Diego, Amador, Nevada, Kern, Mendocino, Lake, Santa Clara, Colusa, San Mateo, Mariposa, Sonoma, Marin, Butte, Contra Costa, Trinity, Sacramento, Monterey, Shasta, Calaveras, Merced, Del Norte, Placer, Glenn, Tehama, Plumas, Madera, Inyo, Humboldt, Solano, Santa Cruz, Yuba, Alameda, El Dorado, Sutter, Imperial, Lassen, Stanislaus, Sierra
How to tell it apart
vs Rhamnus: Ceanothus has showy blue/white/pink flowers in dense clusters; Rhamnus has tiny inconspicuous greenish flowers.; vs Quercus: Ceanothus has showy flower clusters and small leaves; Quercus has acorns and distinctive lobed or toothed oak leaves.; vs Baccharis: Ceanothus has individual flowers with 5 separate petals; Baccharis has composite flower heads with tiny disc flowers.; vs Cercocarpus: Ceanothus has blue/white/pink flowers in clusters; Cercocarpus has tiny flowers with no petals and feathery fruiting tails.; vs Adenostoma: Ceanothus flowers have 5 distinct colored petals; Adenostoma has tiny white flowers and needle-like clustered leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ceanothus cuneatus native to California?
Yes. Ceanothus cuneatus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Ceanothus cuneatus grow?
Ceanothus cuneatus occurs in Ventura, Yolo, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Riverside, Los Angeles, Siskiyou and other counties.
What plant family does Ceanothus cuneatus belong to?
Ceanothus cuneatus is in the Rhamnaceae family, genus Ceanothus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.