Neighborhood ceanothus

[Peter]

 

 

[realarch]

Wow Peter, that’s beautiful!

Tim

[Silas_Sancona]

Our two, locally native sp encountered up at Oak Flat on Sunday.. Had seen specimens of the first one on past trips up there. Second was an unexpected surprise..

Mojave / Desert / Gregg's Ceanothus, Ceanothus pauciflorus, *** Formally known as Ceanothus greggii **. California ( S. Sierra / S. Cal. mountains ) S. Nevada / S.W. Utah.. AZ, S. New Mexico and W / S.W. TX to Oaxaca, Mexico.. Scrappy... and somewhat spiny-looking bush. Flower clusters small, but quite fragrant.










Fendler's Ceanonthus, Ceanothus fendleri .. AZ, UT, N.M., & CO., south to N.W. Sonora, Mexico ( Sierra Madre Occidental ) with a disjunct population occurring in the Sierra Oriental in Eastern Mexico ( ..Mountains near Saltillo / Monterrey, Mexico ) and possibly in the Davis Mountains of W. TX.  Taller ..Resembling the lusher Ceanothus sp, though it too is a small-leaved species.. Flower clusters bigger than C. pauciflorus, and just as fragrant..  First encounter w/ the species.  Green bushes growing next to it in the background in some shots are Hopseed.










Both can be grown in lower elevation areas, though C. fendleri  ( esp. ) may struggle a bit w/ the heat in/ around greater Phoenix / areas further west / southwest toward Yuma..

[Tracy]

I'm partial to Ceanothus cyaneus but the deep color of the one in Peter's neighborhood is beautiful too.  I guess we all have a local bias to the varieties native to our areas.  Will have to snap a few pictures next time I'm out hiking where this species grows.

[Hillizard]

' Julia Phelps' Ceanothus variety in bloom today in my front yard of California natives. A major attraction for honeybees and other pollinators!!