Bailey &: Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 165 



Ceanothus {Ceanothus L.) 



Ceanothus is common in the western national parks, particularly in the 

 Sierra Nevada parks of California and in the Southwest. It occurs commonly 

 on open slopes or in openings in the forest and most of the species are quick 

 to come into burned areas. The small flowers, mostly blue or white, are 

 borne in showy clusters. They are quite distinctive, with tiny scoop-like petals 

 spreading from between incurved sepals, all parts colored alike. The fruits are 

 small globose 3-lobed capsules, often sticky, at least when young. 



Various common names have been applied to the different species; moun- 

 tain lilac because of the showy clusters of sweet-smelling flowers; hornbrush, 

 referring particularly to the thick-leaved species with horned fruits; buckbrush 

 because it is browsed by deer; and soapbloom because of a soapy substance 

 contained in the flowers. A very good soapy lather may be obtained by 

 rubbing the blossoms between the hands with a small amount of water. In 

 this manner the flowers of many of the species, particularly chaparral white- 

 thorn ceanothus, were used by the Indians. The herbage, especially of the 

 thin-leaved species furnish valuable browse for deer. 



Field Guide to the Species 



Leaves alternate, mostly with 3 main veins from the base (except C. diversifolius) ; 

 capsules not horned, sometimes crested. 



Branchlets more or less spme-tipped; herbage grayish. 



Tall shrubs 5 to 1 5 feet high; flowers white or blue; capsules not ridged, 



somewhat sticky 1. C. leucoJermis. 



Low shrubs 1/3 to 4 feet high; flowers white; capsules with narrow ridge 

 down the back of each lobe. 



Shrubs found in Sierra Nevada parks of California 2. C. cordulatus. 



Shrubs found in southern Rocky Mountains and Southwest 



3. C. Feudlcri. 



Branchlets not spine-tipped. 



Leaves I inch or less long. 



Prostrate or trailing shrubs 1 foot high or less; leaves with 1 main 



vein; found in Sierra Nevada parks 4. C. diver si folius. 



Lrect or spreading shrubs 2 to 3 (or 6) feet high; leaves with 3 main 

 veins. 



Rigidly branched shrubs found in the Southwest; flowers white 



5. C. Martini. 



Shrubs with slender flexible branches, found in Sierra Nevada 



parks; flowers blue 6. C. parvifolim. 



Leaves 2/3 to 4 inches long. 



Leaves thinnish, dull green above, deciduous; fruits not sticky. 



Leaf-margins not toothed; flowers white or pale blue or pink; 



found in California parks 7. C. iniegerrimus. 



Leaf -margins finely toothed; flowers white, not in California 

 parks. 



Leaves green above, not hairy. 



Leaves roundish to egg-shaped, mostly blunt-pointed; 

 flower-clusters short-stalked, borne on lateral 

 branches of previous season; northwestern 

 species 8. C. sanguineus. 



