Ceanothus oliganthus

Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray

Fl. N. Amer. 1: 266. 1838.

Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 88. Mentioned on page 79, 81, 86, 92.

Shrubs, sometimes arborescent, evergreen, 2–3 (–6) m. Stems erect, not rooting at nodes; branchlets reddish-brown or brown, usually not, sometimes weakly, thorn-tipped, usually round, sometimes ± angled in cross-section, flexible to rigid, glabrous, puberulent, or villosulous. Leaves: petiole 3–8 mm; blade flat, ovate to widely elliptic, 8–35 × 4–25 mm, base obtuse to subcordate, margins denticulate most of length, not revolute, teeth 19–71, apex obtuse, rounded, or acute, abaxial surface usually pale green, sometimes gray-green, sometimes glaucous, glabrate to hirtellous, adaxial surface dark green, villosulous, especially on the veins, or glabrate; 3-veined from base. Inflorescences axillary, racemelike, 1.5–5.2 cm. Flowers: sepals, petals, and nectary usually pale to deep blue or purplish blue, rarely white. Capsules 4–7 mm wide, lobed, ± depressed at apex; valves smooth or rugose, viscid, crested or not.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

M. Van Rensselaer and H. McMinn (1942) treated var. oliganthus and var. sorediatus as species, although they and R. F. Hoover (1970) discussed intergradation between the two forms throughout part of their distribution, especially in the southern Coast Ranges and Transverse Ranges of California.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Ovaries and nectaries pilosulous; capsules glabrescent, valves rugose, weakly crested dorsally. Ceanothus oliganthus var. orcuttii
1 Ovaries and nectaries glabrous; capsules glabrous, valves smooth, crested or not. > 2
2 Branchlets puberulent to villosulous; leaf blade adaxial surfaces usually villosulous, sometimes glabrate; capsule valves usually crested, sometimes not. Ceanothus oliganthus var. oliganthus
2 Branchlets glabrous to sparsely puberulent; leaf blade adaxial surfaces sparsely villosulous to glabrate; capsule valves usually not, sometimes weakly, crested. Ceanothus oliganthus var. sorediatus

"denticulate" is not a number."thin" is not a number.

... more about "Ceanothus oliganthus"
gray-green +  and pale green +
glabrate +  and hirtellous +
glabrate +  and villosulous +
perigynous +  and epigynous +
acute +, rounded +  and obtuse +
Clifford L. Schmidt† +  and Dieter H. Wilken +
Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray +
obtuse +  and subcordate +
3-veined +  and veined +
not gland-dotted +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
3[-5]-veined +  and pinnate +
spinulose +, spinose +, serrate +  and entire +
denticulate +, dentate +, crenulate +, crenate +  and serrulate +
ovate;widely elliptic +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
villosulous +, puberulent +  and glabrous +
angled +  and round +
depressed +  and lobed +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Calif. +  and nw Mexico +
free +  and adnate +
shallowly cupulate +  and hemispheric +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5.2 cm52 mm <br />0.052 m <br />) +
deciduous +  and persistent +
white;usually pale;deep blue or purplish blue +
intrastaminal +
superior +  and inferior +
not fleshy +
perigynous +  and epigynous +
pink +, usually white +  and cream blue or purple +
adnate +  and distinct +
6 +  and 5 +
clawed +, obovate +  and spatulate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
2-4-carpellate +
Fl. N. Amer. +
pink +, usually white +  and cream blue or purple +
distinct +
spreading +  and incurved +
6 +  and 5 +
keeled;lanceolate;deltate +
not rooting +
3-veined +  and veined +
Ceanothus oliganthus +
Ceanothus subg. Ceanothus +
species +
paniclelike +  and racemelike +
gland-tipped +
rugose +  and smooth +
not +  and crested +
unarmed +  and armed +
300 cm3,000 mm <br />3 m <br /> (600 cm6,000 mm <br />6 m <br />) +
polygamous +, dioecious +  and synoecious +