Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
White Coast Ceanothus
Ceanothus verrucosus
  
10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About White Coast Ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosus) 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant Ceanothus verrucosus is a rare species of shrub in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) known by the common names wart-stem ceanothus, barranca brush, and white coast ceanothus. It is endemic to Baja California and San Diego County, where it grows in coastal chaparral and scrub. Much of the coastal land that hosts this plant in the San Diego area has been claimed for development, but many populations still remain scattered around the region, such as one protected at Torrey Pines. This is an erect shrub approaching 3 meters in maximum height. The evergreen leaves, each up to about 1.5 centimeters long, are alternately arranged on bumpy stems. The flowers are held in a cluster up to around a foot. The flower is white except for its characteristic dark center. The fruit is a capsule about half a centimeter long.

Ceanothus verrucosus is one of the easier Ceanothus species to grow in southern California. It seems to tolerate summer water slightly better, and tolerates tough drought conditions much better than most other southern California Ceanothus species. But it does best with monthly summer water it's first year, and then left alone after that. It produces a spectacular display of white flowers in late winter, often early March. It tends to grow in an attractive fanned-out form, and its leaves stay green and healthy looking even through a long dry summer with no water.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3.5 - 10 ft tall
8 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
Black, Cream, White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
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 ( 1 confirmed , 57 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Gloveria medusa Image
Gloveria medusaGloveria medusa
*
Strymon melinus Image
Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus
*
Papilio eurymedon Image
Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon
*
Limenitis lorquini Image
Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini
*
Nymphalis californica Image
California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californicaNymphalis californica
*
Callophrys augustinus Image
The Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinusCallophrys augustinus
*
Erynnis pacuvius Image
Pacuvius Duskywing Erynnis pacuviusErynnis pacuvius

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 10

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy, Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 30° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Often but not always found on eroded gabbro or sandstone soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.0

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

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Laurel Sumac, Black Sage, Ceanothus tomentosus, Torrey Pine, Del Mar Manzanita, Summer Holly, Chamise, San Diego Sage, Encinitas Baccharis, Del Mar Mesa Sand Aster, Nuttall's Scrub Oak, Bushrue

Maintenance
Maintenance
Tolerant of normal pruning

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Hot water; then 2-3 mos. stratification may improve germination.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
23

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry hills, mesas, canyons, marine terraces and coastal bluffs, most often found in a subtype of chaparral known as southern maritime chaparral that is found in limited locations on sandstone soils

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 9.7" - 34.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 0.48", Coldest Month: 39.9" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 69.0" - 79.3", Humidity: 1.44" - 25.05", Elevation: 3" - 1241"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Barranca Brush, Wart-stem Ceanothus


Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label
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


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In