Ceanothus rigidus

Monterey ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Monterey ceanothus is a California native shrub with a rank of 4.2, found in the central Coast Ranges in sandy substrates, chaparral, and closed-cone pine forest at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces blue to lavender flowers occasionally appearing white, clustered in compact umbel-like formations. Growing as a dense, mound-like to slightly erect shrub less than 1.5 meters tall, it features erect to spreading stems with brown to gray-brown twigs. Its opposite, evergreen leaves are widely obovate and rounded, dark green and shiny on the upper surface, measuring 4 to 10 millimeters long with a rounded or truncate tip and occasionally bearing 5 to 9 sharp teeth. The compact shrub produces smooth fruits approximately 4 to 6 millimeters wide with small, smooth horns less than 1 millimeter long.

Habitat: Sandy substrates, chaparral, closed-cone-pine forest

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: CCo.

California counties: Monterey, Los Angeles, Marin, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz

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