Ceanothus ophiochilus

Vail lake ceanothus, Vail Lake Ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Threatened

Vail lake ceanothus is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in northern Peninsular Ranges at Vail Lake and Agua Tibia Mountain in chaparral on rocky slopes with pyroxenite-rich substrate at elevations of 600 to 1,100 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces pale blue to occasional pink flowers in small umbel-like clusters less than 1 centimeter long. Growing as an open, erect shrub less than 2 meters tall with ascending red-brown twigs, it has a compact, distinctive form. Its opposite evergreen leaves are remarkably narrow, measuring 3 to 7 millimeters long and 1 to 3 millimeters wide, with dull green oblanceolate blades and acute to truncate tips. The fruit is small, approximately 3 to 3.5 millimeters wide with minimal horn-like projections.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, ridges of pyroxenite-rich substrate, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 600-1100 m

Bioregions: n PR (Vail Lake, Agua Tibia Mtn).

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