CEANOTHUS SPINOSUS.
Lilac.
411. — Parry, Proc. Davenport Acad. v. 172. —Greene,Garden and Forest, v. 447. — K. Brandegee, Proc. Cal.Acad. ser. 2, iv. 185 (excl. var. Palmeri).
Branchlets angled, spinescent. Inflorescence compound, on leafy branches. Leaves
coriaceous, rarely 3-nerved, persistent.
Ceanothus spinosus, Nuttall , Torrey & Gray FI •i. 267 (1838). — Watson, Proc. Am. Acad. x. • —
Brewer & Watson, Bot. Cal. i. 103 . - Trelease, Proo.
Cal. Acad. ser. 2, i. 109 ; Gray Syn. FI. N. Am. i. p • i-
. , 1 ri„nmnthu <? smnosus in the canons of the San Rafael MountainsUsually shrubby m tab, , ^ ^ ^ ^ a ^ five or ^ ^
sometimes becomes a s^ape y » > ^ roug hened by small closely oppressed scales, and upright
lameter covered wit ar r ^ ea( j rp^ e fl ranc hlets are slender, divaricate, angled, pubescent orbranches forming an narrow Mrous, bright green, ultimately reddish brown, and frequentlypuberulous when they rs app > leaves are elliptical, full and rounded and apiculate or often
end in sharp leafless thorn li eij > ° narrowe d and pointed or rarely three-lobed at the apex, rounded orslightly emarginate or gradua y ^ en fl ie y fl rs t unfold along the stout midribs and obscure
cuneate at the base, villose pu esc ^ persistentthey are usually about an inch long and halfprimary veins, soon glabrous, COna< ^^ ’ e ^- 0 i es which vary from one sixth to one third of an inch inan inch wide, and are borne on s ^ near ly glabrous. On vigorous shoots the leaves are sometimeslength and, at first villose, finally eco ^ serrate, with incurved apiculate teeth, or coarsely dentate,ovate, conspicuously three-nerve , irr ®^ ^ eighths of an inch wide. The stipules are minute, acute, andand often an inch and a half long an light to dark blue and are very fragrant, open from
early deciduous. The flowers, whic v cor y m hs from the axils of acute pubescent red caducousMarch until May, and are produce in ^ ^ ^ 0 i e inflorescence forming an open thyrsus often fivebracts on upper leafy branchlets o an fl destitute of leaves toward the apex. The fruit
or six inches long and three or our 111 ^ an( j f rom 0 ne quarter to one third of an inch in diameter,
is depressed, obscurely lobed, crest ess, fl a flitant of mountain canons near the coast of southern
Ceanothus spinosus is a common ■ A n p- e l es counties, where it grows down nearly to the
lifornia in Santa Barbara , ’ ar ifolia, Platanus racemosa, Sambueus glauca, Umbellu
sea-level in forests composed of Q^ r j UQ i ans Californica, and often forms a heavy undergrowthlaria Californica, Alnus rhombifo % , ^ s h r ubs, its large clusters of bright blue flowers enlivening
with other small trees and many spec , • e 0 f m0 st beautiful of all the members of
these forests for many weeks in early spring, when it
this genus. 1 . , Thomas Nuttall, 2 near Santa Barbara, California . 3
Ceanothus spinosus was discovered m 1836 by ^ ^
1 There appears to be no record of the introduction o „ gee g ov jn ei p roc , Biol. Soc. Washington , xiii. 117.