Tobacco Brush, Ceanothus velutinus

About Tobacco Brush (Ceanothus velutinus) 7 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Ceanothus velutinus is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, known by the common names Red Root, Snowbrush Ceanothus and Tobacco Brush. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in several habitat types including coniferous forest, chaparral, and various types of woodland. In California it is found primarily in the northern half of the state in the Coast Ranges, Sierras, Klamath and Modoc regions. It can grow up to 4 meters tall but generally remains under three, and forms colonies of individuals which tangle together to form nearly impenetrable thickets. The aromatic evergreen leaves are alternately arranged, each up to 8 centimeters long. The leaves are oval in shape with minute hairy teeth along the edges, and shiny green and hairless on the top surface. The plentiful flower clusters are long clusters of white flowers. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule a few millimeters long which snaps open explosively to expel the three seeds onto the soil, where they may remain in a buried seed bank for well over 200 years before sprouting. The seed is coated in a very hard outer layer that must be scarified, generally by wildfire, before it can germinate. Like most other Ceanothus, this species fixes nitrogen via actinomycetes on its roots.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

Size

6 - 13.1 ft tall
6 - 12 ft wide

Form

Upright, Mounding

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

White, Green

Flowering Season

Summer, Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Insects, especially bees and butterflies. 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 ( 13 confirmed

, 81 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

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americanaPhyllodesma americana

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 7

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Coarse well-drained soils, sandy loams, clay loams, loose or unstable soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.0

Common uses

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

Companion Plants

Trees: White Fir (Abies concolor), Maples (Acer sp.), Alder (Alnus sp.), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Pines (Pinus sp.), and Oaks (Quercus sp.)

Shrubs: Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium), Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis), and coffeeberry (Frangula sp.)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Hot water and 2-3 mos. stratification ( USDA Forest Service 1974 ).

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17

Natural Setting

Site Type

Openings in wooded slopes of northern California foothills and high mountains, up to 11,000 ft. as part of montane chaparral or evergreen forest

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.4" - 153.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.27" - 5.98", Coldest Month: 9.5" - 52.9", Hottest Month: 33.1" - 74.4", Humidity: 0.01" - 27.29", Elevation: 39" - 14113"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus
Common Names: Red Root, Snowbrush 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

Tobacco Brush

Ceanothus velutinus

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Tobacco BrushCeanothus velutinus

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Tobacco Brush

Ceanothus velutinus