Ceanothus ophiochilus

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The Ceanothus ophiochilus plant is endemic to California. It is only known from a few sites in the vicinity of Vail Lake and the Black Hills, east of Temecula and west of the Santa Rosa Mountains in southwestern Riverside County.

Ceanothus ophiochilus is a plant of the chaparral plant community, and in its small native range which currently is only a few acres, it grows in pyroxenite soil atop an ancient volcano. Its elevation range is 580–1,065 metres (1,903–3,494 ft).

One of the three remaining populations of this plant is on private property that may face development in the future. It was listed as a threatened species on the federal level in 1998, and an endangered species by the state of California in 1994.^[1] There are up to 9000 individuals remaining, but some of these are hybrids with Ceanothus crassifolius.