Stats

Lifespan

20-50 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Coastal chaparral

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This woody shrub grows in the coastal mountain scrub of California and Baja. Its branches harden into sharp, needle-like thorns that can pierce through thick leather.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Rosales

Family

Rhamnaceae

Genus

Ceanothus

Species

Ceanothus spinosus