Buck Brush, Ceanothus cuneatus

About Buck Brush (Ceanothus cuneatus) 36 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Ceanothus cuneatus is a species of flowering shrub in the Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) family known by the common names Buckbrush and Wedgeleaf Ceanothus. This Ceanothus is native to Oregon, California, and northern Baja California, where it can be found in a number of habitats, especially chaparral. It is one of the most common and widespread native plants in California. It is a spreading bush, rounded to sprawling, reaching up to 3 meters in height. The evergreen leaves are stiff, tough and fleshy, and may be slightly toothed along the edges. The bush flowers abundantly in short, thick-stalked racemes bearing rounded bunches of tiny flowers, each about half a centimeter wide. The flowers are white, sometimes tinted strongly with blue or lavender. The fruit is round capsule with horns. It is about half a centimeter wide and contains three shiny dark seeds which are dispersed when the capsule explodes and propels them some distance. Harvester ants have been known to cache the seeds, which can lie dormant for a long time since fire is required for germination. This plant may be variable in appearance due to its wide distribution and because it hybridizes easily with similar species. There are three recognized varieties; var. fascicularis is a rare plant restricted to the Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo coast.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

5 - 12 ft tall
5 - 12 ft wide

Form

Upright, Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

White

Flowering Season

Summer, Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Insects, especially bees and butterflies, 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.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 confirmed

, 87 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californicaNymphalis californica

The Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinusCallophrys augustinus

Hedgerow Hairstreak Satyrium saepiumSatyrium saepium

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Western Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma californicaMalacosoma californica

White-streaked Saturnia Moth Saturnia albofasciataSaturnia albofasciata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 36

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10 - 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Variable, but needs fast drainage. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 6 - 8

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Gray Pine (Pinus sabiniana), Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Johnny Jump Up (Viola pedunculata), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), coffeeberry (Frangula species),

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 41% germination for Ceanothus cuneatus. (Adams et al. 1961).

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry fans, slopes, ridges

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 151.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.94", Coldest Month: 29.4" - 55.7", Hottest Month: 47.2" - 80.8", Humidity: 0.09" - 30.56", Elevation: -14" - 9002"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Buckbrush, Wedgeleaf Ceanothus

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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

Buck Brush

Ceanothus cuneatus

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Buck BrushCeanothus cuneatus

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Buck Brush

Ceanothus cuneatus