Orcutt’s ceanothus Orcutt’s ceanothus

Ceanothus orcuttii Parry, Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 5: 194. 1889

Stems: branchlets ± flexible, puberulent to villosulous. Leaf blades ovate, elliptic, or elliptic-oblong, adaxial surface sparsely villosulous. Flowers: sepals, petals, and nectary blue; nectary and ovary pilosulous. Capsules glabrescent; valves rugose, weakly crested.

Flowering Feb–Jun. Open slopes and ridges, chaparral, pine forests; 200–1800 m; Calif.; Mexico (Baja California).

Variety orcuttii occurs in the Peninsular Ranges of southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. The pilosulous nectary and ovary are unique in Ceanothus.