Deer Brush;  Ceanothus integerrimus

Mid Bloomer.  Shrub, long spikes of delicate white to blue flowers. Notes:  Buckthorn family.  Also called California Lilac or Wild Lilac.  This is a graceful, fragrant shrub, 3' to 12’ tall with Lilac-shaped flowers blooming April to May.  Prefers dry slopes.  The bark and roots were used as an astringent and tonic; it used today for that purpose. The roots were used to make a dye.  The leaves can be smoked like tobacco. There are many species (at least 45, mostly in the west) which easily hybridize, making identification difficult.  USDA lists 64 Species and 85 accepted taxa overall for genus ceanothus,  which comes from the Greek meaning thorny. Click on species name below to go to USDA for this species. Kingdom Plantae -- Plants     Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants         Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants             Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants                 Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons                     Subclass Rosidae                         Order Rhamnales                             Family Rhamnaceae -- Buckthorn family                                 Genus Ceanothus L. -- ceanothus P                                     Species Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn.                                      -- deerbrush

Deer Brush (Ceanothus integerrimus) Brother Alfred Brousseau, Courtesy of St. Mary's College of California.

Deer Brush (Ceanothus integerrimus) Photo by Brother Alfred Brousseau