Ceanothus greggii

Ceanothus greggii, known by the common name desert ceanothus, is a species of flowering shrub in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is native to the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah) and northern Mexico, where it grows primarily in desert scrub, sagebrush, chaparral, and other dry habitats such as inland mountain slopes, at elevations of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) to 2,300 m (7,500 ft).[1]

Ceanothus greggii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Rhamnaceae
Genus:
Ceanothus
Species:
C. greggii
Binomial name
Ceanothus greggii

It was named by Asa Gray of Harvard University in 1853 in honor of its collector, Josiah Gregg, who found the plant in 1847 at the site of the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican state of Coahuila during the Mexican–American War.[2]

Description
Ceanothus greggii bush on mountainside at 7,000 ft (2,100 m)

Ceanothus greggii is a many-branched shrub that grows erect to nearly 2 m (6.6 ft) in maximum height. Its woody parts are gray in color and somewhat woolly. Branches are opposite and rigid.[1] The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged, 2–9 mm long, and variable in shape, with a prominent midvein. They may be toothed or smooth along the edges, and are indeed usually somewhat cupped (see top image).[1]

The inflorescence is a small (less than 2 cm long) cluster of many white flowers on short lateral branches. The flowers bloom in spring.[2][1] Blooms are considered highly fragrant.[3] The fruit is a horned capsule a few millimeters wide which bursts explosively to expel the three seeds inside, which require thermal scarification from wildfire before they can germinate.[4]

C. greggii is eagerly browsed by livestock and wild ungulates such as mule deer and desert bighorn sheep.[4]

Varieties

Distinct varieties of C. greggii include:[5][6]

  • Ceanothus greggii var. franklinii – desert ceanothus, endemic to Grand and San Juan counties in Utah[7]
  • Ceanothus greggii var. greggii – desert ceanothus
  • Ceanothus greggii var. perplexans – Gregg's ceanothus
  • Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus – Mojave ceanothus

See also

References
  1. John D. Stuart; John O. Sawyer; Andrea J. Pickart (2001). Trees and Shrubs of California. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22110-9.
  2. Blakely, Larry, Desert Ceanothus, Ceanothus greggii A. Gray var. vestitus (E. Greene) McMinn (Rhamnaceae) Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Who's in a Name? People Commemorated in Eastern Sierra Plant Names
  3. "Ceanothus greggii – Desert Ceanothus – Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and Plants". Fireflyforest.com. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  4. "Species: Ceanothus greggii". Fs.fed.us. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  5. USDA: Subordinate taxa of Ceanothus greggii
  6. ITIS Standard Report Page: Ceanothus greggii
  7. S.L. Welsh (1993). "New taxa and new nomenclatural combinations in the Utah flora". Rhodora. 95.

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