The Chaparral Whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis) is native to California and Baja California, Mexico where it blooms from March to May in San Diego County and the northern mountains of Baja California. It is an important nutritious resource for browsers and ungulates like mule deer and bighorn sheep.

The Chaparral Whitethorn is a thorny shrub with fluffy pale blue and purple flowers that bloom in the spring. It grows to about 12 feet tall and prefers dry and rocky soils with an extensive root system good for soil stabilization.

To see more photographs of the Chaparral Whitethorn, please visit the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Flora of Baja California database.

PHOTO CREDIT: Norman Roberts, SDNHM Botany Dept.