Kingdom Plantae Family Rhamnaceae Scientific name Ceanothus impressus Rank Species | Order Rosales Genus Ceanothus Higher classification California lilac | |
 | ||
Similar California lilac, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, Ceanothus arboreus, Ceanothus gloriosus, Ceanothus griseus | ||
Ceanothus impressus, with the common name Santa Barbara ceanothus, is a species of flowering shrub. This Ceanothus is endemic to the Central Coast of California, where it can be found on coastal slopes and mesas. Other common names are blueblossom ('blueblos') and California lilac, although the plant is not a lilac (Syringa).
Description
This expansive shrub may exceed three meters-10 feet in height and approach seven m.-28 feet in width. It is thickly branched with dark brown twigs and stem. The evergreen leaves are about 2 centimeters long and oval shaped, highly ridged and wrinkled and curling under along the edges. They may be gland-dotted and have grayish hairy undersides. The shrub flowers abundantly in inflorescences of small blue flowers. The fruit is a crested spherical capsule about 4 millimeters wide.
