Ceanothus integerrimus var. macrothyrsus

Deerbrush

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: tree · Native

Deerbrush is a California native tree found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Modoc Plateau in chaparral, oak woodland, and conifer forest at elevations of 70 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to July, this tree produces white to blue flowers, occasionally with pink tones, in distinctive clusters. Growing with multiple stems up to several meters tall, it develops a complex branching structure with dense foliage. Its leaves are three-ribbed from the base, ranging from lanceolate to widely ovate, creating a textured green canopy that provides important habitat and food for wildlife. The shrubby tree is particularly characteristic of California's diverse woodland and chaparral ecosystems, creating dense thickets in mixed plant communities.

Habitat: Chaparral, oak woodland, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 70-2600 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaR, SN, SnFrB, SCoR, TR, PR, MP

California counties: Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Trinity, Tulare, Siskiyou, Shasta, Butte, Tehama, Del Norte, San Bernardino, San Diego, El Dorado, Amador, Placer, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Plumas, Sonoma, Nevada, Yuba, Monterey, Calaveras, Mendocino, Humboldt, Glenn, Madera, Riverside, Orange, Stanislaus, Lake

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