Ceanothus gloriosus
Glory mat
(c) Megan Hansen, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ceanothus gloriosus (Glory mat) is a native California shrub in the Rhamnaceae family.
Glory mat is a California native shrub found along the central California coast in coastal scrub and chaparral habitats at low elevations. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces blue to blue-purple flowers in compact umbel-like clusters approximately 1 to 2.5 centimeters wide. Growing as a low, mat-like to occasionally erect shrub with spreading or arched stems that can root at the nodes, it develops green or red-brown twigs that are angled near their tips. Its evergreen leaves are widely elliptic or obovate, dark green on the upper surface and lighter underneath, typically 10 to 45 millimeters long with sharp-toothed margins and an obtuse or notched tip. The shrub produces smooth fruits 4 to 6 millimeters wide with small horns less than 1.5 millimeters long.
Habitat and range
California counties: San Diego, Marin, Mendocino, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo
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 gloriosus native to California?
Yes. Ceanothus gloriosus is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Ceanothus gloriosus grow?
Ceanothus gloriosus occurs in San Diego, Marin, Mendocino, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo.
What plant family does Ceanothus gloriosus belong to?
Ceanothus gloriosus is in the Rhamnaceae family, genus Ceanothus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Ceanothus gloriosus var. exaltatus — Glory brush
- Ceanothus gloriosus var. gloriosus — Point reyes ceanothus
- Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus — Mount vision ceanothus
- Ceanothus hearstiorum — Hearsts' ceanothus
- Ceanothus impressus — Santa barbara ceanothus
- Ceanothus impressus var. impressus — Santa barbara ceanothus
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.