Ceanothus verrucosus

Wart-stemmed ceanothus, Wart-Stemmed Ceanothus

Family: Rhamnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Wart-stemmed ceanothus is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native shrub found in southern San Diego County in rocky chaparral slopes at elevations below 350 meters. Flowering from January to April, this plant produces white flowers in compact umbel-like clusters about 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. Growing as an erect and somewhat open shrub less than 3 meters tall with gray-brown angled twigs, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its evergreen leaves are widely obovate, dark green on top and gray-green underneath, typically 5 to 14 millimeters long with entire or slightly toothed margins and a truncate to notched tip. The fruit is sticky, 4 to 6 millimeters wide, with minimal or no prominent horns.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, chaparral

Bloom period: Jan-Apr

Elevation: < 350 m

Bioregions: s SCo (San Diego Co.)

California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Marin, Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside

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