Ceanothus lemmonii
Lemmon's ceanothus
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Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ceanothus lemmonii (Lemmon's ceanothus) is a native California shrub in the Rhamnaceae family, recognized by distinctive minutely gland-toothed leaf margins with round glands.
Lemmon's ceanothus is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Ranges, and northern and central Sierra Nevada in open, rocky sites at elevations of 150 to 1,650 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces blue to purple-blue flowers in compact raceme-like clusters 2 to 7 centimeters long. Growing as an erect to mound-like shrub 0.5 to 1 meter tall with flexible pale green to gray-green twigs, it forms an open, spreading shape. Its alternate evergreen leaves are elliptic to oblong, 12 to 33 millimeters long, with minutely gland-toothed margins featuring 34 to 45 tiny teeth and a slightly paler undersurface densely covered in fine hairs. The smooth, three-ridged fruits are approximately 3 to 4 millimeters wide with no prominent horns.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 29 sympatric species; distinctive minutely gland-toothed leaf margins with round glands
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, rocky sites
Elevation: 150-1650 m
California counties: Tulare, Shasta, Placer, Siskiyou, Butte, Trinity, Nevada, Kern, Humboldt, El Dorado, Yuba, Lake, Tehama, Plumas, Tuolumne, Sacramento, Amador, Calaveras, Sierra
Bloom period
Ceanothus lemmonii blooms Apr-May.
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 lemmonii native to California?
Yes. Ceanothus lemmonii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ceanothus lemmonii bloom?
Ceanothus lemmonii blooms Apr-May.
Where in California does Ceanothus lemmonii grow?
Ceanothus lemmonii occurs in Tulare, Shasta, Placer, Siskiyou, Butte, Trinity, Nevada, Kern and other counties, at elevations of 150-1650 m.
What plant family does Ceanothus lemmonii belong to?
Ceanothus lemmonii is in the Rhamnaceae family, genus Ceanothus.
What habitat does Ceanothus lemmonii grow in?
Ceanothus lemmonii grows in Open, rocky sites.
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.