COMMON NAME
Blueblossom
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
ALSO KNOWN AS
California lilac
Plant family
Buckthorn (Rhamnaceae)
Plant group
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
Blueblossom is an evergreen shrub with blue to white showy flower clusters, native to the California coastal areas.
10 reports
7+
OBSERVERS
10+
OBSERVATIONS
Identification hints
Blueblossom can vary dramatically in form and size over its natural range, with some plants growing fairly upright to 30 feet and others growing in a mounding form to only 2-3 feet tall.
Did you know?
Blueblossom flowers are important for bees and butterflies, and its seed pods are an important food source for birds and small mammals.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
California
,
Oregon
HABITAT
Find Blueblossom in the Chaparral, redwood forest, and mixed woodland slopes and canyons along the California coastline and foothills from Del Norte County to Monterey County.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
Evergreen leaves are shiny, and less than two inches long, with three prominent veins on the underside.
Flowers
Blueblossom has flowers that are produced in a dense, puff-shaped clusters about 3 inches long. Flower color varies from white, light blue, dark blue to purple. Flowers bloom in the winter or spring.
Fruits
Fruit is a somewhat sticky three lobed capsule.
Bloom Time
Blooming from January to June, with more flowering March through May.
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