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Nipomo Mesa Ceanothus
Ceanothus impressus var. nipomensis
  
About Nipomo Mesa Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus var. nipomensis) 2 Nurseries Carry This Plant Ceanothus impressus var. nipomoensis is a variety of flowering shrub in the Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) family known by the common name Nipomo Mesa Ceanothus. It is one of two recognized varieties of the species C. impressus. This variety is endemic to the coast of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties where it can be found on coastal slopes and mesas. It is thickly branched with dark brown twigs and stem. The evergreen leaves are about 2 centimeters long and oval shaped, highly ridged and wrinkled and curling under along the edges. They may be gland-dotted and have grayish hairy undersides. The shrub flowers abundantly in clusters of small blue flowers. The fruit is a crested spherical capsule about 4 millimeters wide.

This is a great Ceanothus to grow in its natural range. Significant amounts of summer water will kill this plant. It needs the cool coastal climate and strong marine influence to make it through the hot season, so don't try to grow it south of Ventura County or inland areas. Prefers sun or part shade and sandy soils. Makes a great hedge.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 10 ft tall
3 - 15 ft wide

Form
Form
Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Many species of butterflies, bees, other beneficial insects. Plants in the Ceanothus genus are host plants to the Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10 - 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Sandy soils. Soil PH: 5 - 7

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry, sandy chaparral slopes of the central coast

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 14.9" - 20.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 0.31", Coldest Month: 45.7" - 49.7", Hottest Month: 65.1" - 73.5", Humidity: 0.47" - 22.35", Elevation: 83" - 3193"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Santa Barbara Ceanothus


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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