Ceanothus pauciflorus
Mojave ceanothus, Mojave Ceanothus
(c) Eric Knight, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Eric Knight · licence
Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Ceanothus pauciflorus (Mojave ceanothus) is a native California shrub in the Rhamnaceae family, recognized by white flowers and gray-white fuzzy twigs.
Mojave ceanothus is a California native shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, Transverse, Peninsular, and eastern Sierra Nevada, and Desert Mountains in chaparral, woodland, and conifer forest at elevations of 550 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white flowers in compact umbel-like clusters about 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. Growing 0.8 to 2 meters tall with ascending to erect stems that are intricately branched and covered in pale gray to whitish, dense short hairs, the shrub forms an open, distinctive shape. Its opposite, evergreen leaves are oblanceolate to nearly round, 5 to 20 millimeters long, gray-green to yellow-green, with a concave upper surface and occasionally 3 to 5 sharp teeth near the tip. The fruit is approximately 3 to 5 millimeters wide with subtle ridges and minimal to no horns.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 30 sympatric species; key features are white flowers and gray-white fuzzy twigs
Habitat and range
Habitat: Slopes, flats, chaparral, woodland, conifer forest
Elevation: 550-2600 m
Outside California: to Utah, Texas, central Mexico
Bloom period
Ceanothus pauciflorus blooms Mar-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 pauciflorus native to California?
Yes. Ceanothus pauciflorus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Ceanothus pauciflorus bloom?
Ceanothus pauciflorus blooms Mar-May.
What plant family does Ceanothus pauciflorus belong to?
Ceanothus pauciflorus is in the Rhamnaceae family, genus Ceanothus.
What habitat does Ceanothus pauciflorus grow in?
Ceanothus pauciflorus grows in Slopes, flats, chaparral, woodland, conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.