Hairy Ceanothus, Ceanothus oliganthus

About Hairy Ceanothus (Ceanothus oliganthus) 12 Nurseries Carry This Plant

Add to My Plant List

Ceanothus oliganthus is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae known by the common name hairy ceanothus. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in most of the coastal mountain ranges in dry habitat such as chaparral. This is a large, erect shrub approaching 3 meters in maximum height. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and may be up to 4 centimeters long. They are dark green on top, paler and hairy on the underside, and are edged with hairy teeth. The flower cluster is a cluster or series of clusters of blue or purple flowers. The fruit is a capsule which may be hairy or not, depending on variety. There are three recognized varieties with overlapping ranges. The variety of this species known as jimbrush (var. sorediatus) is sometimes treated as a separate species.

Plant Ceanothus oliganthus on rocky slopes, particular north facing ones in the southern, drier parts of its range. This plant is fairly sensitive to summer water. Best to avoid all direct summer water after it's first year, though it will be happiest if it can stretch its roots out to a damper or irrigated area 10 feet away or so. This plant likes full sun but tolerates part shade.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

10 ft tall
12 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Blue, Purple

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Various insects and birds. It is host plant to the following butterflies: Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed

, 90 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Pacuvius Duskywing Erynnis pacuviusErynnis pacuvius

Duskywing Erynnis afraniusErynnis afranius

Recurvaria franciscaRecurvaria francisca

Chionodes occidentellaChionodes occidentella

Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 12

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates both heavy and sandy soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla), Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Deerweed (Lotus scoparius), Brittlebush (Encelia species), Sage (Salvia species), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Oaks (Quercus species), Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Red Fir (Abies magnifica), Yucca species, native grasses, and Dudleya species

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Hot water treatment.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Rocky, dry slopes below 4,500 ft. most often along the coastal side of the mountains, frequently on north facing aspect, from Humboldt County to San Diego

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.1" - 154.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 2.96", Coldest Month: 38.3" - 55.3", Hottest Month: 60.0" - 82.9", Humidity: 0.05" - 33.83", Elevation: 3" - 6541"

Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label

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

Hairy Ceanothus

Ceanothus oliganthus

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Hairy CeanothusCeanothus oliganthus

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Hairy Ceanothus

Ceanothus oliganthus