Ceanothus megacarpus

Nuttall

N. Amer. Sylv. 2: 46. 1846.

Endemic
Basionym: Ceanothus macrocarpus Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray Fl. N. Amer. 1: 267. 1838
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 97. Mentioned on page 78, 94, 95, 96, 98.

Shrubs, 1.5–6 m. Stems erect to ascending, not rooting at nodes; branchlets grayish brown to brown, flexible, appressed puberulent to tomentulose, hairs straight. Leaves sometimes alternate, not fascicled, sometimes crowded; petiole 1–5 mm; blade flat to cupped, oval, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 10–25 (–33) × 5–19 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins thick, usually entire, rarely remotely denticulate, teeth 5–7, apex obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, glabrous or sparsely strigillose on veins, adaxial surface green, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, 1–2 cm. Flowers: sepals and petals white; nectary blue to black. Capsules 7–12 mm wide, not lobed; valves smooth or rugulose to weakly ridged near apex; horns subapical, prominent, erect, often rugulose, or weakly developed to absent, intermediate ridges absent. 2n = 24.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Some populations of Ceanothus megacarpus are polymorphic for leaf arrangement. Plants assignable to either var. insularis or var. megacarpus based on leaf arrangement may have fruits intermediate to both varieties. Putative hybrids between var. megacarpus and C. cuneatus were reported by H. McMinn (1944), but their variable leaf arrangement (alternate and opposite on the same plant) may also represent intermediates between var. insularis and var. megacarpus.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaves mostly alternate; capsule valves rugulose to weakly ridged near apex; horns prominent. Ceanothus megacarpus var. megacarpus
1 Leaves mostly opposite; fruit valves smooth; horns weakly developed or absent. Ceanothus megacarpus var. insularis

"thick" is not a number.

... more about "Ceanothus megacarpus"
strigillose +  and glabrous +
perigynous +  and epigynous +
Clifford L. Schmidt† +  and Dieter H. Wilken +
Nuttall +
cuneate +  and rounded +
Ceanothus macrocarpus +
3-veined +  and veined +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.3 cm33 mm <br />0.033 m <br />) +
not gland-dotted +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
3[-5]-veined +  and pinnate +
spinulose +, spinose +, serrate +  and entire +
denticulate +, dentate +, crenulate +, crenate +  and serrulate +
oblanceolate;elliptic;oblanceolate;elliptic;oval +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
not thorn-tipped +
puberulent +  and tomentulose +
not lobed +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
straight +
subapical +
rugulose +
free +  and adnate +
shallowly cupulate +  and hemispheric +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
crowded +  and alternate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
denticulate +
intrastaminal +
superior +  and inferior +
not fleshy +
perigynous +  and epigynous +
adnate +  and distinct +
6 +  and 5 +
clawed +, obovate +  and spatulate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
2-4-carpellate +
N. Amer. Sylv. +
intermediate +
distinct +
spreading +  and incurved +
6 +  and 5 +
keeled;lanceolate;deltate +
not rooting +
erect +  and ascending +
Ceanothus megacarpus +
Ceanothus subg. Cerastes +
species +
paniclelike +  and racemelike +
not gland-tipped +
rugulose +  and smooth +
unarmed +  and armed +
polygamous +, dioecious +  and synoecious +