Ceanothus decornutus

Nicasio ceanothus, Nicasio Ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Nicasio ceanothus is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in western Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area on open, rocky serpentine slopes and ridges at elevations of 50 to 290 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces light blue to white flowers, sometimes with pink hues, in small umbel-like clusters 1 to 2.5 centimeters long. Growing as an erect or mound-like shrub less than 1.5 meters tall with intricately branched, thick brown stems, it develops a distinctive growth form with dense, intricate branching. Its opposite, evergreen leaves are ovate to oblong ovate, 10 to 20 millimeters long, dark green on top, with wavy margins featuring 7 to 9 spine-like teeth. The fruit is a 5 to 7 millimeter wide, 3-ridged structure with thick, rounded horns up to 2 millimeters long.

Habitat: open, rocky serpentine slopes and ridges

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 50-290 m

Bioregions: SnFrB (w Marin Co.).

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.