The Genus Ceanothus
Buchbrushes
Family: Rhamnaceae
This is a genus of about 73 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs native to North America with the highest diversity on the western coast. Ceanothus is actinorhizal, meaning it fixes nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with Frankia.
When blooming, buckbrushes are swarming with countless pollinators: butterflies, wasps, bees, flower flies, and more. They are larval hosts for the following butterflies:
Arizona Hairstreak (Erora quaderna)
Southwestern Azure (Celastrina echo ssp. cinerea)
Nais Metalmark (Apodemia nais)
California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius)
In our region these plants are found in the mountains and foothills in rocky soils
Photo of Ceanothus fendleri by Max Licher, SEINET
Ceanothus fendleri
Fendler’s Buckbrush
Semi-evergreen (may be evergreen in low desert) shrub up to 6+ feet tall but usually more like 3x3’. White to pink, very fragrant flowers in warm season followed fruits that are three-celled capsules. Lacks the spine-tipped branches present in the desert bruckbush (Caenothus greggii).
Moderate water with good drainage, best in partial sun in the low desert (can take full sun in higher elevations), and very hardy, to about -20°F or lower.
Very nectar-rich flowers that attract loads of pollinators of all sorts. Fruits attract various birds and other organisms. Deer are particularly fond of browsing on Fendler's ceanothus. It is important to mule deer all year, as do elk, porcupine, and rabbits.
Important medicinal root for cleansing lymphs and blood. Berries eaten, sweetened with sugar, inner bark also edible. Used medicinally for tonsil inflammation, sore throats and enlarged lymph nodes. Also used for sore mouth, as a ceremonial emetic, and as kindling.
Ceanothus is from the Greek keanothus, which is a name for a spiny plant, while fendleri is named for Augustus Fendler (1813-1883) a German plant collector who worked for Asa Gray and George Engelmann.
Found on open ground, often among other trees from 5,000-10,000 ft. from the southwestern edge of South Dakota and Wyoming, south through Utah and Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and the western edge of Texas, into northern Mexico.
Ceanothus pauciflorus
Gregg’s Buckbrush
Attractive, evergreen shrub (may be semi-evergreen in higher elevations) growing to about 6+ feet tall. Usually about 3-4’ tall. Intensely fragrant white (sometimes blue) flowers in the warm season followed by fruit which is a horned capsule.
Does better in lower elevations than the Fendler’s buckbrush (Ceanothus fendleri). Plant in part sun in the low desert, though it may take full sun, if reflective heat is avoided. Provide moderate water with good drainage. Plant hardiness is undetermined but hardy at least to 0°F.
Important medicinal root for cleansing lymphs and blood. Berries eaten once sweetened with sugar, inner bark also edible. Used for tonsil inflammation, sore throats and enlarged lymph nodes.
This plant was formerly known as Ceanothus greggii. Ceanothus is from the Greek keanothus, which is a name for a spiny plant, pauciflorus means “few flowers” which isn’t the best descriptor for this plant in general, since it flowers a lot, but compared to other species of Ceanothus, the flowers are in smaller bundles. The former species name, greggii is named after Josiah Gregg (1806-1850), frontier trader and author, who sent many specimens to Dr. George Engelmann in St. Louis from little known areas of the southwest.
Grows on dry, rocky slopes, foothills, canyons, gullies and in erosion channels from 3,000-7,000 ft. in southern and central California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern Texas; south to central Mexico.
Here is a poem Petey Mesquitey wrote many years ago when he was growing so many different southwestern native plants in his greenhouse
He says “I remember that I used this as one of my handouts at a talk I gave at a horticulture conference in Las Vegas, NV. I thought of it yesterday when I was leaning over some seeded flats and willing seed to germinate. ‘Come on, come on, what are you waiting for?’ I bet you do that too, so here’s some encouragement.”
SEED
I gathered seed of Ceanothus greggii on a rocky slope back in May.
Buckbrush is what I’m talking about and yeah, it’s easier to say.
It’s got that common name ‘cause it’s good browse, especially for deer.
So I put those seed capsules in an envelope on a bookshelf very near
where I sit down and write plant lists and sometimes write a check.
So I’m sitting there and hear a noise and wonder, “What the heck?”
Capsules were popping open and tiny seeds were shooting out.
I’m going to be growing Ceanothus this year, now there is no doubt!
So should I scarify or stratify or maybe combine the two?
I want those seed to germinate. I gotta figure out what to do.
I’ll use my incredible plant wisdom and a little ecology.
Some of it will be magic, with just a pinch of theology.
I’ll agonize, I’ll pray and plead to some very weird gods.
I take this very seriously or I never would have picked those pods.
But by fall I’ll have tiny plants by seed from that rocky slope,
seeds I remember hearing popping in an envelope.
I know it sounds just crazy and it seems such an ordeal,
But growing plants from the wild keeps ol’ Petey real.