Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Ceanothus dentatus is a species of shrub in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) known by the common name Sandscrub Ceanothus. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Central Coast and its Coast Ranges, primarily in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. It grows in coastal hills, bluffs, and canyons. This shrub produces a highly branched, spreading stem up to about 1.5 meters tall. The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and often borne in clusters. Each is under 2 centimeters long, toothed along the edges, wavy and turned under along the margins to appear somewhat ruffled. They are hairy and covered in tiny hairy bumps, the upper surfaces dark shiny green and the undersides paler. The flower cluster is a small cluster of many bright blue flowers. The fruit is a lobed, crested capsule about 4 millimeters wide.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

2 - 5 ft Tall
5 ft Wide

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

Blue

Flowering season

Winter, Spring

Special uses

Bank stabilization

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Soil drainage

Fast

Soil description

Prefers well drained soil.

Propagation

For propagating by seed: Hot water and 3 mos. stratification. Hot water only may give satisfactory germination.

Sunset Zones

7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*

Site type

Sandy hills, slopes, coastal bluffs, flats below 5, 000 ft.

Plant communities

Chaparral, Closed-cone Pine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 87 likely

Confirmed Likely

Acanthopteroctetes unifascia

Sallow Button

Acleris hastiana

Cottonwood Dagger Moth

Acronicta lepusculina

Acronicta perdita