Taxonomy

Division:

Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants

Family:

Rhamnaceae

Genus:

Ceanothus

Species:

Ceanothus ochraceus

Growth Characteristics

Height:

200 cm

Drought Tolerance:

High

Bloom Months:

apr,may,jun

Bloom Colors:

white, cream

Evergreen Shrub:

Yes

Landscaping Shrub:

Yes

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:

★★★★☆ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:

bees, butterflies, birds

Deer Resistant:

Yes

Fragrant:

Yes

Fire Ecology:

Requires fire for germination

Fire Notes:

Seeds require heat from fire for germination and remain viable in soil seed bank for decades. Plants resprout vigorously from root crown after fire disturbance.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:

Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days

Scarification:

Seed coat scarification required before sowing

Germination Time:

14–60 days

Notes:

Seeds have hard, impermeable seed coats requiring scarification. Heat or smoke treatment may improve germination rates as observed in other Ceanothus species.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI