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Name That Plant!

Mystery blue-flowered CA coastal tree

15 years ago

Hi all,

Please help me identify this tree. It is on the California coast. Initially it looks like a Ceanothus, but on close inspection the flowers do not look like Ceanothus, but something in the pea-family. It is absolutely covered in ball-shaped masses of sweet pea-type light blue flowers.

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Comment (1)

SusanC
15 years ago
Per previous post, it's Psoralea pinnata.
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They grow rapidly by suckering, the plants come up 30 ft. away. And the flowers stink, they smell like Oriental lilies. In a severe winter here in zone 6, the smaller ones die to the ground, and I wish the big ones did too. The reason is that the big ones sort of live, but sort of die too. Lots of pruning required. Still, the effect of a mass of them sited right can make a Wow! moment. These grow here at the end of the pond.
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