| Lompoc Ceanothus |
| Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascicularis |
| Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) |
| Flowers — color: light lavender, size: 3/8", type: 5 petals |
During the best seasons, the whole ceanothus bush is covered in blooms. When resources are more restricted, each terminal branch has large clusters, 1.5–2" diameter, of small flowers. Each cluster is composed of several mini-clusters, each having 5–9 flowers on 1/2" violet stems emerging from the brown flower bud in February or March. A young specimen might produce only single mini-clusters.
Each white to pale blue or violent bloom has complex structure. Five paddle-like sepals with narrow stem and broad rounded end explode like a firework around the inner pentagonal petals. The inner petals almost close back to encapsulate the central flower. Five lavender stamens tipped by yellow pollen-containing anthers emerge from the gaps between the inner petals.
When I stick my nose into a ceanothus flower cluster, I catch a faint floral aroma. This aroma awakens sixty year old memories of the lilacs my Mother grew in the Midwest. But before you stick your nose in, look out for bugs. This ceanothus species is host to myriad bees, butterflies, moths, etc.—totaling 86 species.
Habit:
Lompoc Ceanothus is an evergreen shrub of our maritime chapparal, sharing the role with Santa Barbara Ceanothus. They are larger than partner chamise, but smaller than manzanita. These three shrubs compete for growing room after a wildfire. Ceanothus seeds require fire to germinate, so mature specimens fade over thirty years, and larger manzanita wins the race until the next fire. This ceanothus grows as a large rounded bush to heights up to 8 feet on Burton Mesa.
These ceanothus leaves are oblong with smooth edges, shiny and smooth on top and dull and rough on the bottom. Leaves on the exterior are small, roughly 1/4" long, but grow larger in the shrub's interior. A pair of leaves grow in opposition from the leaf node on the stem. A small bud forms where these leaves attach to the stem. They host one or more pairs of smaller leaves in opposition, each perpendicular to those below. This tight cluster of leaves, a fasicle, distinguishes the Lompoc subspecies from its relatives, and modifies the scientific name.
Western Santa Barbara county hosts two native ceanothus: Santa Barbara and Lompoc varieties. The Lompoc variant has much paler flowers than other 'mountain lilacs'. I found a note in my Mom's desk with her handwriting: "Ceanothus: Santa Barbara—blue, Lompoc—white". Although their ranges coincide and mostly overlap, they do not share areas in BMER maritime chaparral. Hwy 1 roughly divides the territories of these ceanothus: darker Santa Barbara to the west and paler Lompoc to the east.