Buck Brush

Buck Brush is a large, spreading shrub with thick woody branches reaching 3 meters in height. The branches, which can be rounded or straggling, are coated in reddish-brown to gray-brown peeling bark. The small evergreen leaves of this plant are tough and stiff, with slight toothing around the edges. The abundant clusters of white flowers sprout up at the ends of the leaf stems. Each flower is about half a centimeter wide with 5 petals. The fruit of this plant is a rounded capsule about half a centimeter wide with 3 shiny dark seeds.

Basic Information

• Member of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), which includes its close relative Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)

• Evergreen shrub

• There are three varieties of this plant:

  • Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus (buckbrush) — common throughout most of California

  • Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascicularis (sedgeleaf buckbrush) — rare plant restricted to the Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo coast

  • Ceanothus cuneatus var. rigidus (Monterey ceanothus) — found almost exclusively in the Monterey area

• Highly variable in appearance due to its wide distribution and because it easily hybridizes with similar species

Habitat

• Native to California, Oregon, and northern Baja California

• Found in a number of habitats, but it is most common in chaparral environments

  • One of the most common and widespread native plants in California

Ecological Role

• The flower are attractive to insects, especially bees and butterflies

• Plants in the Ceanothus genus are host plants to the butterflies Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak

• Harvester ants have been known to cache buck brush’ seeds

Reproduction

• Blooms from February to July

• Seeds are dispersed when the capsule explodes

  • Fire is required to germinate the seeds

Alternative Names

• Buckbrush, Wedgeleaf Ceanothus

Historical Uses

• The wood of this plant was used by a number of tribes for a variety of purposes including:

  • Firewood

  • Basketry

  • Arrow-making

  • Dam building

  • Ear-piercing