Ceanothus americanus (see-a-NOH-thus ah-mer-ih-KAY-nus)
Family: RhamnaceaeNativeShrub (3-15 ft)
Shrub (3-15 ft)Native
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 characteristic also makes it difficult to transplant. Use this shrub in foundations, as a specimen, shrub borders, native plantings or in groupings. This plant was selected as the 2013 NC Wildflower of the Year , a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. A great addition to a butterfly garden, this shrub is a food source for the larvae of the Mottled Duskywing ( Erynnis martialis ), Spring Azure ( Celastrina ladon ), and Summer Azure ( Celastrina neglecta ) butterflies. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: The New Jersey tea is susceptible to leaf spot and powdery mildew. Prone to root rot in wet soils and canker disease.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf value
Edible; Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
3-4 inch long by 2 inches wide broad-ovate, to oblong-ovate leaves have cordate bases and pointed tips. Margins are smooth to finely serrate. The upper surface is medium to dark green with minute stiff hairs and has a wrinkled appearance along the veins. The lower leaf surface is pale green and pubescent (hairy). They are alternate, simple and turn yellow to tan in the fall.
Fall color
Cream/Tan; Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Pink; White
Flower value
Long-lasting
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
2-5 inch long panicles of 1/8 inch fragrant, 5-petaled, creamy-white flowers appear on terminal branches or in the upper leaf axils from May to June.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
3-lobed seed capsules up to ¼" across. They start out green-red mature to dark brown or black and split open to eject 3 seeds several feet. Fruit displays from June to July.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Brown with shallow pits.
Stem color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Stem detail
Stems are light green to light yellow, terete, and pubescent becoming woody with age
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada to Central U.S.A., NC
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: MB , NB , ON , QC
Wildlife value
It is a larval host plant for Mottled Duskywing, Spring Azure, Summer Azure butterflies. The Mottled Duskywing have flights from April-September. Flowers are highly attractive for their nectar to butterflies, bees, moths, predatory wasps and other insects. Its seeds are eaten by songbirds. Members of the genus Ceanothus support the following specialized bees: Pseudopanurgus pauper and Pseudopanurgus virginicus.