Ceanothus oliganthus var. oliganthus

Hairy ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: tree · Native

Hairy ceanothus is a California native tree found in the northern Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in chaparral and conifer forest at elevations of 60 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from December to June, this plant produces delicate white to pale blue flowers in small clusters. Growing with green to reddish-brown twigs that are softly hairy, it forms a dense, multi-branched structure typical of chaparral trees. Its leaves are distinctively short-hairy on the upper surface, creating a textured appearance with a soft, muted green coloration. The fruit is generally smooth, contributing to the plant's refined and understated botanical character.

Habitat: Slopes, ridges, chaparral, conifer forest

Bloom period: Dec-Jun

Elevation: 60-1800 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, SnFrB, SCoRO, TR, PR.

California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Santa Barbara, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, Humboldt, Monterey, Napa

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