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Mountain Whitethorn
( Ceanothus cordulatus )
Ceanothus cordulatus
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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About Mountain Whitethorn (Ceanothus cordulatus)
6 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Ceanothus cordulatus
is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) known by the common names Mountain Whitethorn and Whitethorn Ceanothus. It is native to California and adjacent sections of Oregon, Nevada, and Baja California, where it grows on mountain ridges and other forested areas. In California its major population is in the Sierras. This is a spreading shrub growing usually wider than tall and up to about 1.5 meters. The stems are gray, with the twigs yellow-green in color and fuzzy in texture when new. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and up to 3 centimeters long. Each is oval in shape with three ribs and generally not toothed. The leaves may be hairy or not. The flower cluster is panicle-shaped, up to about 4 centimeters long. The flowers are white to off-white with five sepals and five petals. The fruit is a rough, ridged capsule up to half a centimeter long. It has three valves inside, each containing a seed. This is a plant for high elevation gardens, from 4,000 ft. to 10,000 ft. At lower elevations it grows slowly and performs poorly. It is one of the most cold-tolerant of the Ceanothus.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Shrub
Size
3 - 6 ft tall
9 ft wide
Form
Upright, Spreading
Growth Rate
Fast, Slow
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous, Winter Semi-Deciduous, Evergreen
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant
Flower Color
White, Cream
Flowering Season
Summer, Winter, Spring
Wildlife Supported
Numerous birds and insects are attracted to the flowers. Plants in the Ceanothus genus are host plants to the Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies.
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 6
confirmed
, 77
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Pale Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio eurymedon
Papilio eurymedon
California Tortoiseshell
Nymphalis californica
Nymphalis californica
Pacuvius Duskywing
Erynnis pacuvius
Erynnis pacuvius
Ceanothus Silkmoth
Hyalophora euryalus
Hyalophora euryalus
Western Tent Caterpillar
Malacosoma californica
Malacosoma californica
White-streaked Saturnia Moth
Saturnia albofasciata
Saturnia albofasciata
*
Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
Strymon melinus
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture
Very Low
Nurseries
Carried by 6
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -20° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description
Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens
Companion Plants
Use with other mountain species such as Firs (
Abies sp.
and
Pseudotsuga sp.
), Manzanita (
Arctostaphylos mewukka
or nevadensis or patula), Dogwood (
Cornus sp.
),
Western Juniper
(
Juniperus occidentalis
),
Tanoak
(
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
), Ninebark (
Physocarpus capitatus
), Pines (
Pinus sp.
),
Quaking Aspen
(
Populus tremuloides
), Canyon Live
Oak
(
Quercus chrysolepis
), and Giant Redwood (
Sequoiadendron giganteum
)
Propagation
?
For propagating by seed: Hot water and 3 mos. stratification. Alternative treatment: boil in water 1 min.; then, instead of stratification, soak in 400 ppm GA, 13 hrs.; air dry 4 days; soak in 3% thiourea 5 mins. Seeds may then be sown or dried again and stored. In this quick treatment gave 25% germination for Ceanothus cordulatus. (Adams et al. 1961).
Sunset Zones
?
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18
Natural Setting
Site Type
Rocky ridges, open areas in higher elevation mountains.
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 10.2" - 166.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.27" - 4.44", Coldest Month: 8.4" - 52.0", Hottest Month: 32.1" - 79.5", Humidity: 0.26" - 26.90", Elevation: 300" - 13935"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Snow Bush, Whitethorn Ceanothus
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Mountain Whitethorn
Ceanothus cordulatus
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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