Weclgeleaf oeanothus, known locally as buckbrush, chamise, chaparral, and 

 greasebush, is a rigid, many-branched, thick-leaved, sometimes evergreen shrub, 

 averaging 3 to 12 feet in height, but becomes smaller, more spreading, and 

 densely matlike near the upper limits of its altitudinal range. The specific 

 name cuneatus refers to the wedge-shaped bases of the leaves. 



The species ranges from Oregon and California to extreme western Nevada 

 and is one of the most widely distributed members of the genus in California, 

 though very rare on the east slopes of the Sierras. It prefers dry, gravelly 

 ridges and slopes and is most common on the interior foothills, but it also 

 occurs locally, and sometimes abundantly, on open rocky sites in the ponderosa 

 pine belt. It frequently forms extensive, impenetrable thickets, which explains 

 the name chaparral applied to this species. 



The foothill chaparral belt, where wedgeleaf eeanothus is most abundant, 

 lies between the grasslands of the lower foothills and the ponderosa pine 

 stands of the mountains. This chaparral belt has been subjected to frequent 

 fires and consequently is dominated by such plants as manzauitas, oaks, and 

 wedgeleaf eeanothus. Its vigor, aggressiveness, fire- and drought-resistance, 

 and seed habits equip wedgeleaf eeanothus admirably to endure such 

 conditions. 



Cattle and horses seldom eat wedgeleaf eeanothus when other forage is 

 available, although they may browse it rather heavily on poor or depleted 

 ranges. The shrub is fairly palatable to sheep when it is well distributed and 

 can be cropped along with other plants, but apparently it is not relished when 

 it forms most of the ground cover. Chapline * has listed it among the foremost 

 species of Ceanothus as goat browse. Because goats like the small tough 

 foliage of wedgeleaf eeanothus many foothill farmers have successfully re- 

 placed woodland chaparral stands with a superior forage cover of annual 

 grasses. This is usually accomplished by first clearing the land of the trees 

 and most of the brush and then grazing with goats to control the root sprouts 

 and uncut brush. This eradication, program, however, is usually feasible only 

 on the better soils which will readily support a grass cover when cleared. 

 Wedgeleaf eeanothus provides the bulk of the winter feed for deer on many 

 areas. In fact, it is so widespread where deer winter this plant is also used 

 somewhat in their summer dietary that it ranks as one of the outstanding 

 deer plants of California and Oregon. On the whole, this species is low in 

 palatability except for goats and game. Local stockmen in southern Oregon 

 report that if grazed extensively wedgeleaf eeanothus is injurious to the kid- 

 neys of the male livestock. Whether there is anything in the chemistry of this 

 plant which may predispose to the formation of renal and urethral calculi or 

 have other irritant effect can be ascertained only by scientific investigation. 



This species occasionally grows as high as 14 feet, though often low and 

 sprawling. Its stiff, moderately leafy, and short to medium long twigs grow 

 almost at right angles to the stem and with age have hard, blunt tips. The 

 bark is usually gray on the younger branches and brownish on the older 

 parts. The sweet-scented flowers are usually white, but in the Coast Range 

 are occasionally light blue to lilac, and appear in the early spring. The leaves, 

 inflorescence, fruit, and to some extent the twigs are beset with glands which 

 exude a balsamlike fragrance. Although wedgeleaf eeanothus is a fairly 

 constant species in most of its range, it is somewhat variable on the margins 

 of its distribution, particularly as to habit and the character of leaves and 

 flowers. The leaves on the young crown shoots are regularly and coarsely 

 toothed (dentate) and commonly occur in threes. 



Wedgeleaf eeanothus does not sprout from the rootcrown or roots after 

 fires but produces an abundance of long-lived seeds, which seem to germinate 

 best after heating, thus encouraging its establishment on burns. Chesnut 2 

 mentions the fondness of squirrels for the seeds of this species and states 

 that its rigid, intricate branches are useful for building fishdams. 



1 Chapline, W. R. PRODUCTION OF GOATS ON FAR WESTERN RANGES. U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Bull. 749, 35 pp., illus. 1919. 



2 Chesnut, V. K. PLANTS USED BY THE INDIANS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Bot., Contrib. U. S. Natl. Herbarium 7 : 295-422, illus. 1902. 



