Taxon Summary

Ceanothus pinetorum, commonly known as Kern ceanothus, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Rhamnaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1040 to 2745 meters. Ceanothus pinetorum is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Ceanothus pinetorum Cov.
Common Name:	Kern ceanothus
Family:	Rhamnaceae
Element Code:	PDRHA04130
USDA Plants Symbol:	CEPI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	1040-2745 (3410-9005)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Kern (KRN), Marin (MRN), Mendocino (MEN), Napa (NAP), Shasta (SHA), Trinity (TRI), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bonita Meadows (3611813), Bully Choop Mtn. (4012257), California Hot Springs (3511886), Camp Nelson (3611825), Camp Wishon (3611826), Cannell Peak (3511873), Casa Vieja Meadows (3611823), Case Mountain (3611847), Cecil Lake (4112312), Chagoopa Falls (3611844), Crag Peak (3611812), Durrwood Creek (3611814), Fairview (3511884), French Gulch (4012266), Haiwee Pass (3611821), Haiwee Reservoirs (3611728), Hockett Peak (3611824), Independence (3611872), Johnsondale (3511885), Kearsarge Peak (3611873), Kern Lake (3611834), Kernville (3511874), Lamont Peak (3511871), Lewiston (4012267), Long Canyon (3611811), Miracle Hot Springs (3511855), Monache Mountain (3611822), Mount Whitney (3611853), Mt. Brewer (3611864), Mt. Kaweah (3611854), Olancha (3611831), Quinn Peak (3611835), Rockhouse Basin (3511882), Sacatar Canyon (3511881), San Rafael (3712285), Sentinel Peak (3611815), Shasta Bally (4012256), Sirretta Peak (3511883), St. Helena (3812254), Templeton Mtn. (3611832), Thompson Peak (4112311), Tobias Peak (3511875), Van Arsdale Reservoir (3912341), White Dome (3511872)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Possibly threatened by vehicles. Material from the Klamath Mtns. similar and needs further study. See Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 4:80 (1893) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 10 February 2025].

Taxon Report

Ceanothus pinetorum Cov.

Kern ceanothus