Product Listing
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
Fragrant White Flowers
Out of Stock
Height Range: | 18 - 42 inches |
Seeding Rate: | 5oz. / 1000 sq. ft |
Seeds Per Pound: | 112000 |
Growing Season: | May - June |
Also known as Redroot or Indian Tea, New Jersey Tea is a pretty shrub that is known for its fragrant white flower clusters and leaves are harvested for tea. Colonists would use this plant as a substutute for tea even though it contains no caffeiene.
This perennial plant that tillers at the base produces numerous, small white clusters of flowers. These flowers emerge from the upper leaves, and persist for nearly a month in the Summer. It works great as an ornamental in areas where drought is a concern because of its high drought tolerance and dry-medium soil preference. It also helps add Nitrogen to the soil and would be useful in areas with a N deficiency.
These small white flowers attract bees, wasps, flies, beetles and occasionally butterfly and moth larvae will feed on the plant. Rabbits, deer and elk browse the plant, and turkey and quail eat the fruit.
PHOTO COURTESY OF: United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge