Ceanothus americanus - New Jersey Tea
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"New Jersey Tea is a deciduous shrub that is native to eastern and central North America and is found in all areas of NC. Its native habitat is open, deciduous woods, woodland edges, oak savannas and meadows. It is low growing with a rounded crown and typically grows to 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. In early summer it is covered with fragrant clusters of creamy white flowers.
New Jersey Tea grows best in well-drained sandy loam or rocky soils in full sun to partial shade. It is drought tolerant once established and tolerates road salt.
Because of its deep root system, it is great for use in erosion control on slopes but this also makes it difficult to transplant. Use this shrub in foundations, as a specimen, shrub borders, native plantings or in groupings." (North Carolina Extension)
- Ceanothus Americanus Botany by Dr. John Hilty
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- Cultivation:
- "The preference is full or partial sun and average to slightly dry conditions. The soil can contain loam, rocky material, or sand. This plant adds some nitrogen to the soil. Germination from seed can be slow and difficult – exposing them to hot water may be helpful. Transplants are easier to manage and faster to develop. Drought resistance is very good – under severe conditions, the leaves will become discolored and shrivel, but quickly revive when rainfall returns. Foliar disease is rarely a significant problem." (Hilty)
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Faunal Associations:
"The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract a variety of insects, especially bees, wasps, flies, and beetles. These floral visitors include Halictid bees (Agapostemon spp., Haictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), Sphecid wasps (Oxybelus spp., Cerceris spp., Tachysphex spp.), Vespid wasps (Polistes spp., Stenodynerus spp.), spider wasps (Anoplius spp.), Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), bottle flies (Lucilia spp.), Muscid flies, and miscellaneous beetles (Robertson, 1929). Hairstreak butterflies (Satyrium spp.) also visit the flowers. Other insects feed destructively on the foliage, seeds, and other parts of New Jersey Tea. These species include stem-boring larvae of a long-horned beetle (Calliomoxys sanguinicollis), leaf beetles (Babia quadriguttata, Pachybrachis trinotatus), seed-eating broad-headed bugs (Alydus spp.), and the Angulate Tingid (Gargaphia angulata); see Yanega (1996), Clark et al. (2004), Schaeffer (1980), and Cranshaw (2004). In addition, the larvae of several moths feed on New Jersey Tea, including the Broad-lined Erastria (Erastria coloraria), Sulfur Moth (Hesperymia sulphuraria), and Red-fronted Emerald (Nemoria rubrifrontaria); the caterpillars of a butterfly, the Spring/Summer Azure (Celastrina argiolus), and caterpillars of a skipper, the Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis), also feed on this shrub (Covell, 1984/2005; Bouseman & Sternburg, 2001; and Bouseman et al., 2006).
"The foliage and stems are readily consumed by various mammalian herbivores, including elk (native in Illinois at one time), deer, rabbits, and livestock (Martin et al., 1951/1961). Some upland gamebirds, like the Wild Turkey and Bobwhite Quail, also use New Jersey Tea as a food source (Van Dersal, 1939). This can make the establishment of this plant difficult where there is an overpopulation of such animals." (Hilty)
- Cover:
- "Ceanothus americanus" by H. Zell, from Own Work CC BY-SA 3.0
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- North Carolina Extension plant description: Ceanothus Americanus (Mountain Snowbell, New Jersey Tea) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ceanothus-americanus/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2022.
- John Hilty botany, cultivation, and faunal associations: John Hilty, "New Jersey Tea", Illinois Wildflowers, Copyright 2004-2019. Accessed 9 February 2022
- Botany flower image: "Inland New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)" by wackybadger is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- Information and images compiled by Erik N.Vegeto
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