Chaparral Whitethorn
Ceanothus leucodermis
Chaparral whitethorn is a tall, spiny, blue-gray evergreen ceanothus that forms impenetrable nitrogen-fixing thickets on dry California slopes. Pale blue bloom draws clouds of pollinators.
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 6–12 ft
- Spacing
- 6–12 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- April, May, June
- Bloom colors
- white, blue
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~45 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen
- Native states
- CA
Related native plants
More Ceanothus species
- Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
- Snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus)
- Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
- New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- Deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus)
- Mountain Whitethorn (Ceanothus cordulatus)