Taxon Report

Ceanothus impressus Trel. var. impressus

Santa Barbara ceanothus

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Ceanothus impressus var. impressus, commonly known as Santa Barbara ceanothus, is a perennial shrub in the Rhamnaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 40 to 470 meters. Ceanothus impressus var. impressus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Ceanothus impressus Trel. var. impressus
Common Name:	Santa Barbara ceanothus
Family:	Rhamnaceae
Element Code:	PDRHA040L1
USDA Plants Symbol:	CEIMI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial shrub
Blooming Period: Feb-Apr	Feb-Apr
Elevation:	40-470 (130-1540)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
Microhabitat:	Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G3T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from CBR to 1B.2 on 2019-05-15 Considered But Rejected on 2006-01-10

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	37
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	35

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Casmalia (3412075), Guadalupe (3412085), Lompoc (3412064), Los Alamos (3412063), Point Arguello (3412056), Point Sal (3412086), Surf (3412065), Tranquillon Mtn. (3412055)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	9	24 %
Development	7	18%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	5%
Improper burning regime	1	2%
Non-native plant impacts	1	2%
Other	1	2%

Notes



See Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 2 1(8):112 (1888) for original description and Ceanothus pp. 219-220 (1942) by H. McMinn for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Possibly threatened by development, non-native plants, and road and trail construction and maintenance.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B.2, G3T2 / S2 (2019)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 1 November 2025].