Woollyleaf Ceanothus, Ceanothus tomentosus

About Woollyleaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus tomentosus) 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Ceanothus tomentosus is a species of shrub in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) known by the common name Woollyleaf Ceanothus. It is most commonly found in the foothills and canyons of San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties, north up into the foothills of the Transverse Mountains, and south down into Baja California. The plants formerly called Ceanothus tomentosus var. tomentosus from the Sierra Nevada are actually more closely related to Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (see Burge et. al. Nov. 2011). Ceanothus tomentosus grows in chaparral, coastal sage scrub, coastal strand and foothill woodland plant communities in its range.

It is shrub approaching four meters in maximum height. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and have dense, matted hairs on the undersides. The leaves have tiny, hairy teeth. The flower cluster is several centimeters long of deep blue or white flowers. The fruit is a lobed capsule a few millimeters long. It is not hairy and it is sticky when new.

Ceanothus tomentosus is a quintessential chaparral plant in San Diego county. It puts on a great floral display for 1-2 months in winter or occasionally in the spring if rains come late. The flowers are beautiful and abundant particularly in wetter years, and can turn the foothills and canyons blue. So for 1-2 months this plant is especially spectacular. The shiny leaves reflect the sun and look beautiful when backlit. In southern California, it prefers full sun and slopes that retain just a bit more moisture than average - i.e. north facing slopes, slope bottoms, east or west facing slopes with heavier soils and plenty of rocks, or cool coastal conditions. Fast growing to 6-12 feet if happy.

Ceanothus tomentosus doesn't tolerate much if any direct summer water after it's established, and if planted in soils that don't retain enough moisture, it will dry out and die. So site selection is very important here. Best to give it regular water for the first year, and none or almost none thereafter, though it'll do fine if planted adjacent to an irrigated area. If you do give it supplemental water, it should be light and preferably indirect. It will typically drop about half its leaves in the summer and make its own mulch.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

6 - 13.1 ft tall
6 - 20 ft wide

Form

Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Blue, Lavender, White

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Important wildlife plant. Attracts many butterfly species, many bee species and other pollinators, many bird species. 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 ( 83 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, Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 10

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10 - 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Prefers heavier or rockier soils on slopes, lighter soils on flats. Soil PH: 5 - 8

Common uses

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

Companion Plants

Ceanothus crassifolius, Ceanothus verrucosus, Laurel Sumac, Spiny redberry, Mission Manzanita, Black Sage, White Sage, Scrub Oaks, Toyon, Bush Rue

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Hot water treatment. For propagating by seed: Hot water treatment.

Sunset Zones?

7, 8*, 8, 9*, 9, 14, 15*, 16*, 17, 18, 19, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry rocky slopes, usually north facing, sandstone bluffs near the coast, from near sea level to 6,800 ft.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 10.2" - 70.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.22" - 2.45", Coldest Month: 30.6" - 56.0", Hottest Month: 53.4" - 80.2", Humidity: 0.98" - 28.75", Elevation: 11" - 7419"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Ceanothus tomentosus var. olivaceus,Ceanothus tomentosus var. tomentosus
Common Names: Woolly-leaf Ceanothus, Woolyleaf 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

Woollyleaf Ceanothus

Ceanothus tomentosus

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Woollyleaf CeanothusCeanothus tomentosus

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Woollyleaf Ceanothus

Ceanothus tomentosus