Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus

Blue blossom

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: tree · Native

Blue blossom is a California native tree found in the North Coast, Klamath Ranges, southern North Coast Inner, North Coast Outer, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges in bluffs, slopes, canyons, chaparral, coastal scrub, and closed-cone pine forests at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces blue to white flowers in dense, rounded clusters. Growing with upright branches 3 to 5 meters tall, it forms a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with relatively smooth, grayish twigs. Its leaves are oblong-ovate to elliptic, with margins slightly rolled under, creating a subtle, compact appearance. In mature stands, blue blossom creates dense, rounded thickets that provide important habitat and visual structure in coastal California landscapes.

Habitat: Bluffs, slopes, canyons, chaparral, coastal scrub, closed-cone-pine forest

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, s NCoRI, NCoRO, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO

California counties: Marin, Humboldt, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo

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