Rank Species | Genus Ceanothus | |
Similar California lilac, Ceanothus diversifolius, Ceanothus parryi, Ceanothus confusus, Ceanothus ophiochilus | ||
Ceanothus lemmonii is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae known by the common name Lemmon's ceanothus. It is endemic to California, where it grows on the wooded slopes of the Inner North Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada foothills to the west and east, respectively, of the Sacramento Valley.
Description
This is a spreading shrub approaching a meter in height and slightly more in width. The woody parts are gray when aged and new twigs are green, hairy, and sometimes glandular. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged. Each is oval in shape and dull green, densely hairy on the underside and more thinly hairy on the upper surface, and the edge is lined with tiny glandular teeth. The abundant inflorescences are clusters of pale to bright blue or purple flowers. The fruit is a smooth capsule a few millimeters long.