Ceanothus prostratus var. prostratus

Mahala mat

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Mahala mat is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, and northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in conifer forest, on flats and ridges at elevations of 800 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white to pale blue flowers in clusters typical of the ceanothus family. Growing as a distinctive mat-like ground cover with spreading branches, it forms low-growing clusters typically 10 to 30 centimeters tall. Its leaves have small, flat blades with 3 to 5 teeth along the upper two-thirds of the margin, appearing dark green and somewhat leathery. The fruit develops with characteristic erect horns, helping distinguish this unique ground-covering shrub in its mountain habitats.

Habitat: Flats, ridges, conifer forest

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 800-2700 m

Bioregions: KR, n NCoR, CaRH, n&ampc SNH, MP

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