About Ceanothus cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt.
Ceanothus cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt. is a spreading evergreen bush, with a form ranging from rounded to sprawling, that can grow up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) tall. Its evergreen leaves are stiff and somewhat tough, and may have slight toothing along their edges. The bush blooms abundantly, producing short, thick-stalked racemes that hold rounded clusters of tiny flowers, each flower around half a centimeter wide. These fragrant flowers are typically white, and are sometimes strongly tinted blue or lavender. The fruit it produces is a round, horned capsule around half a centimeter wide, which holds three shiny dark seeds. The seeds are dispersed when the capsule explodes, propelling the seeds some distance away. Harvester ants have been observed collecting these seeds. Seeds of this plant can lie dormant for a long time, because fire is required for germination to occur. This plant varies widely in appearance because it hybridizes easily with similar related species. While the species as a whole has a wide native distribution, some of its varieties are restricted to very small geographic areas. For example, the variety rigida, commonly called Monterey ceanothus, occurs only between the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area and San Luis Obispo County, California. This species is native to Oregon, California, and northern Baja California. It grows in a number of habitats across this range, and is especially common in chaparral. Ecologically, Ceanothus cuneatus acts as a larval host for eight species of butterflies and moths: the California hairstreak, California tortoiseshell, ceanothus silkmoth, echo blue, hedgerow hairstreak, Pacuvius duskywing, western green hairstreak, and white-streaked saturnia moth.
