Taxon Report

Ceanothus foliosus Parry var. viejasensis D. O. Burge & Rebman

Viejas Mountain ceanothus

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Ceanothus foliosus var. viejasensis, commonly known as Viejas Mountain ceanothus, is a perennial shrub in the Rhamnaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 785 to 1370 meters. Ceanothus foliosus var. viejasensis is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Ceanothus foliosus Parry var. viejasensis D. O. Burge & Rebman
Common Name:	Viejas Mountain ceanothus
Family:	Rhamnaceae
Element Code:	PDRHA040D7
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	785-1370 (2575-4495)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
Microhabitat:	Gabbroic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G3T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2019-01-30

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	7
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Viejas Mountain (3211676)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Distinct from other C. foliosus vars. in leaf vestiture, with abundant hairs on abaxial leaf surfaces and young stems that often form a dense mat, obscuring tertiary venation (vs. glabrous or usually sparse abaxial hairs when present in other vars.). Similar to C. tomentosus; differentiated by undulate leaves with lamina that are often folded lengthwise (vs. plane margins with lamina that are flat in C. tomentosus). See Systemic Botany 42(3):529-542 (2017) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 1B.2, G3T1 / S1 (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 7 December 2025].