C. ovatus was published in Histoire des Arbres et Arbrisseaux qui peuvent etre cultives en pleine terre sur le sol de la France, 2: 381. 1809. Paris. Harvard University Herbaria/Arnold Arboretum (April 7, 2008). "Botanical Specimen Search Results for Ceanothus ovatus". Index of Botanical Specimens. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
Coladonato, Milo (1993). "Ceanothus americanus". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved August 16, 2010.