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Ceanothus parryi Trel.

Modern name

Ceanothus parryi Trel.

An evergreen shrub or small tree up to 18 ft high; young shoots angular, downy. Leaves oblong, inclined to oval, 12 to 114 in. long, 18 to 38 in. wide, pinnately veined, apex blunt or rounded, rounded to tapered at the base, indistinctly toothed, cobwebby beneath; stalk quite short. Flowers blue, borne in simple or branched, downy panicles sparsely leafy at the base, up to 3 or 5 in. long, 1 to 2 in. wide, opening in late May and June. Capsules 16 in. wide, globose, glabrous.

Native of California; apparently first collected by William Lobb in 1857. It is a fine, free-growing species, flowering very abundantly, and was given an Award of Merit when shown by Kew in 1944. It is quite hardy there as a wall plant, but needs good cultivation if it is to be seen at its best. Propagation by cuttings is not so easy as with other species and cuttings from a stock plant grown under glass will provide the best results.


Genus

Ceanothus

Other species in the genus