Description

This rare ceanothus is native to the coastal mountains of San Diego County. The form is vase shaped and upright, reaching about seven feet. The leathery leaves, gray bark and white flowers are reminiscent of the widespread buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus. Small nodules grow on the stems at the leaf nodes, which explains the other common name: wart-stem ceanothus. One would anticipate that this ceanothus would be intolerant of cold weather, but it is reported to withstand temperatures as low as 0 F. The best planting site will have well draining soil and full sun exposure. Like all ceanothus, white coast ceanothus should not receive supplemental irrigation once established.