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Ceanothus americanus L.

New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderRhamnalesBuckthorns, oleasters, grapes, others
FamilyRhamnaceaeBuckthorn family
GenusCeanothusGreek for “spiny plant”
Speciesamericanus“Of or from America”

About plant names...

New Jersey tea is so named because the dried leaves of this North American native were often used as tea during the Revolutionary War. Several dyes have been extracted from this plant: green (from the white (!) flowers); brown from the whole plant; and red from its red roots. Native Americans washed using the flowers, which contain saponins—natural soap. This shrub is nitrogen-fixing, meaning that it converts atmospheric nitrogen directly into usable nutrition (with the help of bacteria).

Identification: New Jersey tea is a deciduous shrub less than 1½-3½′ (45-106 cm) tall. The roots are thick, woody, and red in color. Leaves are alternate, 2-4″ (5-10 cm) long, and have very fine hairs that make them appear a bit grayish in color. Small white flowers appear in clusters up to 2″ (5 cm) around, on long thin leafless branch tips. Fruits begin as brown-black irregularly shaped globes about ⅛-¼″ (3.2-6.3 mm) around. As they age, three white nutlets become visible. When these first caught my eye from a distance, the alternating brown and white sections appeared golden in color.

Edibility: A tea said by some sources to be "refreshing and stimulating" was made from the leaves during the Revolutionary War.

Online References:

Www.carolinanature.com

Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

8/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

9/10/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Near Nashua, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

9/10/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Near Nashua, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

7/2/2014 · Nashua River Floodplain, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

8/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

7/2/2014 · Nashua River Floodplain, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)

Ceanothus americanus L. var. intermedius (Pursh) Torr. & A. Gray

Ceanothus americanus L. var. pitcheri Torr. & A. Gray

Ceanothus intermedius Pursh

 

Ceanothus americanus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 May 2023.

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Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

8/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

8/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

9/10/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Near Nashua, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root, wild snowball, mountain sweet)

6/26/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Dunstable, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Range:

About this map...