Kern ceanothus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kern ceanothus |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Ceanothus
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| Species: |
pinetorum
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Ceanothus pinetorum, also known as Kern ceanothus or Coville ceanothus, is a special kind of shrub. It belongs to the Rhamnaceae family, which includes many types of plants. This plant is found only in one specific place: the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It grows mainly on the Kern Plateau, a part of the southern Sierra known for its wide meadows and high ridges.
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What is Kern Ceanothus?
Kern ceanothus is a unique plant because it is endemic to a very small area. This means it naturally grows nowhere else in the world. It's a low-lying shrub that can form a bush or spread out like a mat. Even though it doesn't grow very tall, usually less than a meter (about 3 feet), it can spread out quite wide, sometimes up to 8 meters (about 26 feet) across!
Where Does Kern Ceanothus Grow?
This interesting shrub thrives in the high-altitude areas of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Kern Plateau, where it is found, has a mix of open meadows and rocky ridges. The plant is well-suited to this environment, which can have cold winters and dry summers. Its ability to spread wide helps it cover ground and survive in these conditions.
What Does Kern Ceanothus Look Like?
Kern ceanothus is an evergreen plant, meaning its leaves stay green all year round. Its leaves are arranged opposite each other on the stems. They are usually small, less than 2 centimeters (about 0.8 inches) long. Each leaf feels firm and doesn't have hairs. If you look closely, you'll see that the edges of the leaves are slightly toothed.
Flowers and Fruits
When it's time to bloom, Kern ceanothus produces small clusters of flowers. These flowers can be a pretty blue color or sometimes off-white. After the flowers are pollinated, they turn into interesting fruits. These fruits are small, just under a centimeter long, and they look wrinkled with little horn-like bumps on them. These fruits contain the seeds that will grow into new plants.
