Description
Ceanothus americanus
CT E P
Note: This is NOT an ecoregional NJ tea. The entire crop of ecoregional NJ tea plants failed over winter. Thus, we have ordered plants from another grower.
Soil: Well-drained
Light: Full to Part Sun
Moisture: Average to Dry
Plant Height: 3 to 4 feet
Plant Width: 3 to 4 feet
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Good for mass plantings, in shrub and mixed borders, and wooded edges. Good for cut flowers.
Compact, deciduous, nitrogen-fixing shrub with grey-green leaves and clusters of tiny, fragrant, white flowers that bloom in spring. Flowers produce dark brown seed capsules that split, ejecting their seeds several feet. Plants have thick, deep taproots and are best left undisturbed once established. Tolerates drought, dry soil and shallow-rocky soil. Attracts songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees. Larval host to Spring Azure, Summer Azure, and Mottled Duskywing butterflies. Dried leaves make an excellent tea (Red Root Tea) that was very popular during the Revolutionary War period, hence the common name.
1 gallon pot
