Santa Barbara Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus)

Ceanothus impressus var. impressus—Santa Barbara ceanothus. Restricted to western Santa Barbara County. One of the parents of several of the most popular ceanothus hybrids. Lives up to it’s Latin name in the truly impressive selection C. impressus ‘Vandenberg’. . Photographed with Olympus Pen E-PL1 with Canon 100 mm FD macro lens. Focus Stacking of 11 images with Zerene Stacker software. Plant is at Regional Parks Botanic Garden located in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: © 2014 John Rusk

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Rhamnaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 132820
Lifeform: Tree, Shrub
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

The Santa Barbara Ceanothus is a chaparral shrub that’s endemic to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in California. Within the chaparral communities, Ceanothus impressus is found growing in sandy sediment from the inland areas that are predominantly sandstone to the coastal sand dunes within maritime chaparral. Within these habitat preferences, C. impressus is known to favor areas that were historically impacted by wildfire and has commonly been found to coexist with local Manzanita species including Arctostaphylos tomentosa (Woolyleaf Manzanita). Though this species is currently unranked in the state of California, the global conservation status of this species is Imperiled.

Where is Santa Barbara Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Ceanothus impressus is a member of the chaparral community that prefers sandy mesa or sand dunes. Other potential growing sites includes areas that had historically been impacted by wildfires.

Distribution:

C. impressus is endemic to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

States & Provinces:

Santa Barbara Ceanothus can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Santa Barbara Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus)?

California Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

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Santa Barbara Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus) Characteristics

Nomenclature

Taxon	Ceanothus impressus
Authority	Trel.
Family	Rhamnaceae
CPC Number	9007
ITIS	28477
USDA	CEIM
Duration	Perennial
Common Names	Santa Barbara Ceanothus
Associated Scientific Names	Ceanothus impressus \| Ceanothus impressus var. impressus \| Ceanothus impressus var. nipomensis
Distribution	C. impressus is endemic to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

State Rank

State	State Rank
California	SNR

Ecological Relationships

Photos

Rhamnaceae - Endemic to California; C. impressus 'Vandenderg' discovered on Vandenberg Air Force Base site in Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara Ceanothus Notable for its tiny leaves (12-13mm in length) and compact, dense habit Shown: Densely foliaged branch in full flower in early spring Photographed in U.C. Botanical Garden at Berkeley - Berkeley, California Photo Credit: © 2009 James Gaither

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