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Hearst's Ceanothus
Ceanothus hearstiorum
  
47 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Hearst's Ceanothus (Ceanothus hearstiorum) 47 Nurseries Carry This Plant Ceanothus hearstiorum is a species of flowering shrub known by the common names Hearst Ranch Buckbrush and Hearst's Ceanothus. This Ceanothus is endemic to California, where it grows wild only on the hilly coastline of San Luis Obispo County. This shrub is generally wider than it is tall and often lies prostrate in a mat on the ground. The younger branches are hairy and somewhat feltlike in texture. The distinctive evergreen leaves are oval to almost rectangular and have a cupped, rippled surface. The edges are toothed with tiny hairy knobs and the shiny surface may be dotted with more knobs. The underside of the leaf is fuzzy to hairy. The flower clusters are borne on short, stout stalks and the tiny flowers are lavender to blue with prominent yellow-anthered blue stamens.

This plant prefers to be near the coast where it would have cooler temperatures and some fog. If planted inland, give afternoon shade and an occasional rinse in the summer. It is a rare plant in the wild due to its extremely limited distribution. However, it is a popular garden plant and is readily available at nurseries.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
0.2 - 1 ft tall
8 ft wide

Form
Form
Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds and insects are attracted to the flowers. Plants in the Ceanothus genus are host plants to the Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 30 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Papilio eurymedon Image
Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon
*
Limenitis lorquini Image
Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini
*
Satyrium saepium Image
Hedgerow Hairstreak Satyrium saepiumSatyrium saepium
*
Hyalophora euryalus Image
Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus
*
Autographa californica Image
Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica
*
Hemileuca eglanterina Image
Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina
*
Neoalcis californiaria Image
Brown-lined Looper Neoalcis californiariaNeoalcis californiaria

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 47

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 17° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates sandy/rocky, clay or adobe soils but not pure beach sand. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
In the wild it occurs with a variety of central coast species including La Cruz Manzanita (Arctostaphylos cruzensis) which is also a rare species from the same area, Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Dwarf Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana), Twinberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), and Lupines (Lupinus species).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Prune tips if needed to contain spread

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Hot water treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Grassy slopes, coastal terraces and bluffs typically overlooking the ocean in northern San Luis Obispo County, as part of coastal prairie, chaparral or coastal sage scrub vegetation.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 20.8" - 24.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.32" - 0.38", Coldest Month: 49.6" - 50.8", Hottest Month: 61.7" - 65.5", Humidity: 1.23" - 11.11", Elevation: 17" - 558"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Hearst Ranch Buckbrush


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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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