Bailey & Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 171 



inch long; flowers blue (or white) borne in dense rounded clusters; fruits 

 with prominent stout horns at the top. 



Occurrence. — SEQUOIA, abundant over limited areas in Kern Canyon, 6,500 to 8,800 

 feet: Kern Canyon; Chagoopa Plateau; Grouse Meadows; near Lion Meadow. 



15. BuCKBRUSH Ceanothus (Ceanothiis cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt.).^ 

 Spreading or sprawling, rigidly-branched shrub 3 to 10 feet high, often form- 

 ing impenetrable thickets over large areas; foliage bluish-gray, with a strong 

 balsamic odor; leaves opposite, thickish, 1/6 to 1/2 (of sometimes nearly 1) 

 inch long, oblong to somewhat wedge-shaped, not toothed, light green above, 

 paler below, conspicuously net-veined; flowers white or rarely bluish, borne 

 in small dense clusters 1/2 to 1 inch across; fruits oblong or nearly round, 

 with 3 horn-like crests at or near the top. This species crown-sprouts after fire. 



Occurrence. — YOSEMITE, rare, about 4,000 feet: V/i miles southeast of Alder Creek 

 ranger station; Chilnualna trail near creek. SEQUOIA, common, 2,000 to 6,500 feet: 

 Middle Fork Kaweah River below More Rock; Kern Canyon (a fonn resembling 

 Mohave Desert ceanothus). 



16. Mohave Desert Ceanothus {Ceanothus vestitus Greent) . — Stout, 

 compact, intricately branched shrub 2 to 5 feet high, strongly resembling buck- 

 brush ceanothus of the Pacific slope; branches short, rigid, some of them 

 spine-tipped; leaves grayish-green, elliptic to oval, rather thick, not toothed 

 or very finely toothed, 1 -nerved, borne in pairs on the branches; flowers white, 

 borne in small clusters; capsules nearly round, with 3 small horns on the sides, 

 about I/4 inch in diameter; occurs on open ridges and dry slopes in the pinon- 

 juniper belt. This species is a fairly important winter browse for deer. (Syn. 

 C. Greggi Gray as to our area.) 3" 



Occurrence. — GRAND CANYON, 4,500 to 7,250 feet. South Rim. rare: Shoshone Point. 

 Canyon: Muav and Bass Canyons: Bright Angel Canyon; below Tahula Point. 



Grape Family (Vitaceae) 



Field Guide to the Genera 



Leaves lobed, not divided into separate leaflets VITIS, p. 171. 



Leaves divided into 5 to 7 leaflets - PARTHENOCISSUS, p. 172. 



Wild Grape (Vitis L.) 

 The wild grapes are woody climbing vines found particularly along streams. 

 Clinging to supports by means of branched tendrils, they straggle over bushes 

 and climb high into trees. The foliage is rather fragrant and the leaves and 

 tendrils have a tart flavor when crushed. Inconspicuous whitish or greenish 

 flowers are borne in branched clusters along the stems opposite the leaves. 

 The grapes are eaten by birds and small mammals and are often collected 

 locally for making jelly. The Indians used them both fresh and dried. The 

 leaves turn a beautiful dark purplish-red in the Fall. 



37 Howell, John Thomas. Studies in Ceanothus III. Leaflets West. Bot. 2: 228- 



240. 1940. 



