Ceanothus americanus

Common Names: New Jersey Tea ; Red Root; Indian Tea

Ceanothus americanus
Photo by the Atlas of Florida Plants Database
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida - Dicots
Order:	Rhamnales
Family:	Rhamnaceae
Genus:	Ceanothus
Species:	C. americanus
Binomial name
Ceanothus americanus L.
Natural range of Ceanothus americanus from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Taxonomic Notes

Synonyms: Ceanothus intermedius (Pursh)

Varieties: Ceanothus americanus Linnaeus var. intermedius (Pursh) Torrey & A. Gray; Ceanothus americanus Linnaeus var. americanus

Description

C. americanus is a perennial shrub/subshrub of the Rhamnaceae family native to North America. Leaves alternate, oblong-ovate in shape, underside light green and covered with white fine hairs, margins varying from smooth to finely or slightly serrate, and have short petioles with 3 conspicuous palmate veins. Flowers long stalked and clustered on axils of upper leaves, with individual flowers having a long slender tube that is terminated in five folded sepals. The hatchet-shaped petals spread outward when calyx opens, and have a large pistil with 5 stamens that have dark grey colored anthers. Fruit a drupe in sets of 3 that slits into 3 carpels that each contain an elliptical, smooth coated, and brown seed. Root system is a deeply anchored taproot that is stout and reddish in color. Overall, the species usually reaches a height of about 3 feet tall, but can reach up to 5 feet.

Distribution

While it is more commonly found along the coastal plains of the eastern United States and Canada, C. americanus can be found inland as far west as Louisiana.

Ecology

This species as well as others in the Ceanothus genus are nitrogen-fixing plants, meaning they have a mutualism with bacteria in the soil to process nitrogen found in the air and change it into a form useful for plants. This symbiosis is conducted through nodules in the roots of the plant to create a suitable environment for the bacteria.

Habitat

The C. americanus is largely found in in sandy soil within woodlands and prairies.

Specimens have been collected from sand in open savanna, dry sand in loam in pine-oak forests, and in open pine land.

Soils include well-drained and mesic loam, sand, or limey soils, sandy loam, sandy, limestone-based, and medium loamy soil.

Phenology

C. americanus has been observed flowering between April and July, with peak inflorescence in May.

Seed bank and germination

For propagation, seeds should be planted in late fall or early winter for best results. Other methods include scarification by soaking the seeds in hot water and then in cooling water for at least 24 hours, and stratifying seeds between 60 and 90 days at 41 degrees.

Fire ecology

C. americanus has a high tolerance to drought and fire is a management technique for the spread of the species. It is adapted to fire through being topkilled yet vigorously resprouts in response to fire from the undamaged rootstock. With reoccurring fire, it can become quite a dominant species along with prairie grasses.

Pollination

Bees may collect pollen from the plant and other insects such as butterflies and moths may just collect nectar. It is a species of special value to native bees since it attracts such a large number.

Use by animals

It averages to 10-25% of the diet for large mammals, and 2-5% of the diet for terrestrial birds. The leaves are browsed on by rabbit, deer, and elk, and the fruit is eaten by quail and turkey. It is a larval host for the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), the Summer Azure (Celestina neglecta), and the Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis). It also supports conservation biological control through attracting predatory or parasitoid insects that in turn prey on pest insects. Historically, Native American tribes in the Missouri River region utilized the leaves to make tea and the roots as fuel on their hunting trips. Other tribes in the Great Lakes Bioregion acclaimed it to have great success for treatment of bowel issues. Medicinally, New Jersey tea was used by physicians due to it being a strong astringent, and recently was discovered to have a blood-clotting agent within the roots of the plant.

Diseases and parasites

This species can acquire leaf spot and powdery mildew, but foliar disease is not really a problem for this particular species.

Conservation and Management

C. americanus is listed as threatened by the Maine Department of Conservation. For management that is interested in promoting the species, fire regiments is the best tool. This particular species cannot be exposed to temperatures below negative 28 degrees Fahrenheit.