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Products > Ceanothus maritimus 'Point Sierra'   Ceanothus maritimus 'Point Sierra' - Maritime Ceanothus     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Shrub Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorns) Origin: California (U.S.A.) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Lavender Blue Bloomtime: Winter Height: 2-3 feet Width: 4-6 feet Exposure: Sun or Shade Seaside: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 10-15° F Ceanothus maritimus 'Point Sierra' (Maritime Ceanothus) - A selection of Ceanothus maritimus from the hills south of Arroyo de la Cruz in San Luis Obispo County. This slow-growing, long-lived groundcover is 2 to 3 feet tall by up to 5 feet wide. The 1/4 to 1/2 inch-long, leathery, bicolored leaves are ash-green on the upper surface and hairy white below and are tightly held along the flattened stems. The blue-violet flowers emerge from dusty white buds in late winter. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well drained soil and water sparingly for best results. This plant performs best in coastal climates but has also proved successful in inland gardens. Dave Fross selected both ‘Pt. Sierra’ and ‘Frosty Dawn’ at the same location and date in 1985. In the book Ceanothus that he coauthored with Dieter Wilken, he notes that "The arching branches and small-ranked leaves give 'Point Sierra' the appearance of a cotoneaster." This cultivar is noted as being more heat tolerant than the species. The genus name comes from the Greek word keanthos which was used to describe a type of thistle and meaning a "thorny plant" or "spiny plant" and first used by Linnaeus in 1753 to describe New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus. The specific epithet is from the Latin word meaning "of the sea" in reference to where this plant grows.  The information on this page is based on the research that we have conducted about this plant in the San Marcos Growers library, from what we have found on reliable online sources, as well as from observations made of our crops of this plant growing in the nursery and of plants growing in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens where we may have observed it. We also have incorporated comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from those who may have additional information, particularly if this information includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Ceanothus maritimus 'Point Sierra'.     [MORE INFO]