Ceanothus

Littleleaf ceanothus Ceanothus parvifolius, copyright Dcrjsr.

Belongs within: Rhamnaceae.

Ceanothus, California lilac, is a North American genus of shrubs and small trees with showy flowers (Hickman 1993).

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Shrub, small tree, prostrate to erect, thorny or not. Stem with branches generally arranged as leaves. Leaves alternate or opposite, deciduous or evergreen, petioled; blade 1-3-ribbed from base, margin entire or not. Inflorescence generally panicle-like aggregations of umbel-like 3-flowered clusters. Flower generally >5 mm; hypanthium surrounding fleshy disk below ovary base, in fruit thick, not splitting; sepals generally 5, lanceolate-deltate, incurved, colored like petals, persistent; petals generally 5, hooded, white to deep blue; stamens generally 5, opposite petals; ovary superior, 3-lobed. chambers 3, each 1-ovuled, style parts 3. Fruit a capsule, more or less spheric, 3-valved. SEEDS 3, approximately 3 mm, one surface convex.

<==Ceanothus
    |--C. americanus SK93
    |--C. arboreus [incl. C. arboreus var. glabra] H93
    |--C. azureus SK93
    |--C. buxifolius SK93
    |--C. confusus [=C. divergens ssp. confusus] H93
    |--C. cordulatus RJ11
    |--C. crassifolius [incl. C. crassifolius var. planus] H93
    |--C. cuneatus SK93
    |    |--C. c. var. cuneatus [incl. C. cuneatus var. dubius, C. cuneatus var. submontanus] H93
    |    |--C. c. var. fascicularis H93
    |    `--C. c. var. rigidus [incl. C. rigidus var. albus] H93
    |--C. cyaneus H93
    |--C. dentatus [incl. C. dentatus var. floribundus] H93
    |--C. divaricatus SK93
    |--C. divergens H93
    |--C. diversifolius H93
    |--C. fendleri SK93
    |--C. ferrisae H93
    |--C. foliosus H93
    |    |--C. f. var. foliosus H93
    |    |--C. f. var. medius H93
    |    `--C. f. var. vineatus H93
    |--C. fresnensis H93
    |--C. gloriosus H93
    |    |--C. g. var. gloriosus H93
    |    |--C. g. var. exaltatus H93
    |    `--C. g. var. porrectus H93
    |--C. greggii RJ11
    |    |--C. g. var. greggii H93
    |    |--C. g. var. perplexans H93
    |    `--C. g. var. vestitus H93
    |--C. griseus [incl. C. griseus var. horizontalis] H93
    |--C. hearstiorum H93
    |--C. impressus [incl. C. impressus va. nipomensis] H93
    |--C. incanus H93
    |--C. integerrimus [incl. C. i. var. californicus, C. i. var. macrothyrsus, C. i. var. puberulus] H93
    |--C. jepsonii H93
    |    |--C. j. var. jepsonii H93
    |    `--C. j. var. albiflorus H93
    |--C. lemmonii H93
    |--C. leucodermis NT01
    |--C. × lorenzenii H93
    |--C. maritimus H93
    |--C. masonii H93
    |--C. megacarpus H93
    |    |--C. m. var. megacarpus [incl. C. megacarpus var. pendulus] H93
    |    `--C. m. var. insularis H93
    |--C. microphyllus SK93
    |--C. oliganthus [incl. C. oliganthus var. orcuttii] H93
    |--C. ophiochilus H93
    |--C. × otayensis H93
    |--C. palmeri H93
    |--C. papillosus H93
    |    |--C. p. var. papillosus H93
    |    `--C. p. var. roweanus H93
    |--C. parryi H93
    |--C. parvifolius H93
    |--C. pinetorum H93
    |--C. prostratus [incl. C. prostratus var. laxus, C. prostratus var. occidentalis] H93
    |--C. pumilus H93
    |--C. purpureus H93
    |--C. roderickii H93
    |--C. sanguineus SK93
    |--C. sonomensis H93
    |--C. sorediatus SK93 [=C. oliganthus var. sorediatus H93]
    |--C. spinosus H93
    |--C. thyrsiflorus [incl. C. thyrsiflorus var. repens] H93
    |--C. tomentosus [incl. C. tomentosus var. olivaceous] H93
    |--C. velutinus H93
    |    |--C. v. var. velutinus H93
    |    `--C. v. var. hookeri H93
    `--C. verrucosus H93

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[NT01] Newton, A. F., M. K. Thayer, J. S. Ashe & D. S. Chandler. 2001. Staphylinidae Latreille, 1802. In: Arnett, R. H., Jr & M. C. Thomas (eds) American Beetles vol. 1. Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia pp. 272–418. CRC Press: Boca Raton.

[RJ11] Rising, J. D., A. Jaramillo, J. L. Copete, P. G. Ryan & S. C. Madge. 2011. Family Emberizidae (buntings and New World sparrows). In: Hoyo, J. del, A. Elliott & D. A. Christie (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 16. Tanagers to New World Blackbirds pp. 428–683. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona.

[SK93] Schirarend, C., & E. Köhler. 1993. Rhamnaceae Juss. World Pollen and Spore Flora 17/18: 1–53.