Ceanothus foliosus var. foliosus

Wavyleaf ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Wavyleaf ceanothus is a California native shrub found in northern Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in rocky chaparral, woodland, and mixed-evergreen forest habitats at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces blue to white flowers in distinctive clusters with wavy-edged leaves. Growing up to 3.5 meters tall with ascending to erect stems, it forms an open, upright structure with a somewhat loose branching pattern. Its leaves are oblong to widely elliptic with gland-toothed margins and a slightly glabrous to sparsely hairy undersurface, creating a textured and distinctive appearance. The shrub's wavy leaf edges and open growth habit make it a characteristic element of California's chaparral landscape.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, flats, chaparral, woodland, mixed-evergreen forest

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: NCoR, SnFrB, SCoRO, PR.

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