About Ceanothus leucodermis Greene
Ceanothus leucodermis is a thorny, erect shrub that can grow close to 4 meters tall. Its bark is gray-white, waxy, and somewhat hairy, especially when it is new. As twigs age, they harden into sharp-tipped thorns. This species has evergreen leaves arranged alternately along the stems; leaves are oval-shaped, reaching up to around 4 centimeters long. Leaf edges are either smooth or lined with tiny glandular teeth. Each leaf is covered in a delicate white powdery coating that rubs off easily. Stipules, the small leaf-like structures that grow on the stem at the base of a leaf petiole, are thin and fall off early, unlike the stipules of many other species in the Ceanothus genus. The inflorescence is a long, stalked cluster of flowers that come in shades of blue, lavender, or white. The fruit is a sticky, three-lobed capsule around half a centimeter long. Unlike fruits of some other members of the genus, this species' fruits do not have horns. This shrub is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain habitats including chaparral, coniferous forest, and oak woodland.
