Mt. Vision Ceanothus, Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus

About Mt. Vision Ceanothus (Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus) 19 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Mt. Vision Ceanothus is one of three recognized varieties of Ceanothus gloriosus. All three varieties are rare, but var. porrectus is the most rare and has the most limited distribution, being restricted to a handful of sites in the vicinity of Pt. Reyes and Tomales Bay. This is an area that receives significant moisture from summer fog. Mt. Vision Ceanothus tends to grow in sandy places, at elevations from sea level to 1,000 feet. It is low growing, forming a mat or low mound. The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged and up to 5 centimeters long, rounded to oval in shape. The edges are toothed, the teeth sometimes spine-tipped. The flower cluster is bright blue to purple. The fruit is a horned capsule about 4 millimeters wide. Although this plant is native to the north coast, it has been used in other coastal parts of the state if conditions similar to its native habitat can be maintained.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3 ft tall
8 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Blue, Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Primarily insects. 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 ( 73 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californicaNymphalis californica

The Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinusCallophrys augustinus

Pacuvius Duskywing Erynnis pacuviusErynnis pacuvius

Hedgerow Hairstreak Satyrium saepiumSatyrium saepium

Landscaping Information

Sun

part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 19

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Prefers sand or sandstone. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), North Coast Dudleya (Dudleya farinosa), Seaside Daisy (Erigeron species), Seaside Buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium), coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Coast Silktassel (Garry elliptica), Lupine (Lupinus species)

Natural Setting

Site Type

Sandy places, bluffs, shrubby slopes, ridges of Marin County

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 30.6" - 41.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.39" - 0.52", Coldest Month: 46.8" - 48.8", Hottest Month: 61.0" - 67.3", Humidity: 0.90" - 12.72", Elevation: 79" - 1258"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Inverness Ceanothus, Mount Vision 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

Mt. Vision Ceanothus

Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus

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Mt. Vision CeanothusCeanothus gloriosus var. porrectus

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Mt. Vision Ceanothus

Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus