General Description

The New Jersey Tea shrub is a slow growing deciduous shrub with medium to dark green leaves with distinct venation and fine white hairs. In late spring to early summer it has clusters of fragrant white flowers which attract many birds and insects. The shrub develops small clusters of brown seeds. It has a rounded, dense form, and herbaceous new growth stems vertically grow from a woody base. The stems have yellow winter colour interest and become more grey and woody with age.

Landscape

Used as a ground cover, low-growing hedge, border and screen in a landscape. As well, in pollinator gardens because it is a host plant to hummingbirds, song birds, butterflies and other insects.

Cultivation

Very drought tolerant and needs dry or well drained soil. A very adaptable, tolerant species, it can grow in sand, loam, limestone base and rocky soils from 6.8-7.2 pH. It does best in full sun to part shade. The large tap root helps this shrub tolerate harsh conditions such as fires but makes transplanting it difficult. Fire will kill off the top herbaceous growth of the shrub but the large tap root beneath the ground will survive and cause regrowth.

Shape

Low, upright and medium to tall. It has a dense form, rounded by nature and multi-stem from the base that becomes woody with age.

Growth

Slow

ID Characteristic

Leaves are simple in form but consist of three prominent palmate veins which have pinnate veins radiating from them. This plant can also be identified in the winter by its yellowish twigs.

Pests

This species of Ceanothus does not have much problem with pests but it can have problems with foliar disease. It is very sensitive to leaf spot and powdery mildew. Pests that may affect it are caterpillars, lace bugs, and mealybugs.

Habitat

Prairies, deciduous woods, rocky hillsides, savannahs and woodland edges.

Bark/Stem Description

Young stems are yellow or light green in colour, softwood herbaceous and covered with tiny white hairs. The stems will become woody and grey with age, if not affected by wildlife grazing or fire dieback. The bark is noticeably yellow in winter.

Flower/Leaf Bud Description

The buds are ovoid sessiles with no distinctive stipular scales.

Leaf Description

Medium to dark green in colour with fine white hairs covering them (mainly on the underside). The leaves are simple and alternate all along the stems to the base. Oblong-ovate shaped leaves have complete to finely-serrated edges with small petioles and are about 5 cm wide and 8 cm long, with the petiole .5–1 cm long. There are three distinct palmate veins on each leaf with radiating pinnate veins.

Flower Description

Globe clusters of white, five-petal flowers of .32 cm in diameter bloom for about a month in late spring and early summer. These flower clusters are 2.5–5 cm, have five sepals, five stamen, pistil, and dark grey anthers. Very fragrant and give off a sweet smell which attracts butterflies, birds, and other insects.

Fruit Description

Small, brown-lobed fruit in small clusters. Coated fruit contains smooth brown seeds in three sections about .5 cm wide which are ejected when the coating splits.

Colour Description

Medium to bright green leaves most of the year. Has fragrant clusters of white, five-petal flowers. When young the stems radiating from the base are green. Over time these stems turn woody and grey. This shrub has winter interest of yellow, showy twigs, less prominent with age of the shrub.

Texture Description

Medium.

Notable Specimens

Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Propagation

Seed collection in late summer/early autumn, softwood cutting in spring, semi-hardwood cutting in summer and root division in autumn. The most common propagation method would be the collection of seed. Seeds naturally eject themselves from the coated capsules. Wrapping a cloth or bag around the capsules will assist in retrieving the seeds. Seeds are then placed in hot water and/or cold water to undergo stratification in order to stimulate germination. The stratification soak should last anywhere from 30 to 90 days in water temperatures of 1Ëš to 6Ëš C. Softwood cuttings have to be forced into a greenhouse atmosphere in the spring for propagation to be successful.

Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)

Commonly used in the late 1700s during the Revolutionary War to make tea. The New Jersey Tea shrub has very distinct white flower clusters that are fragrant and the plant is commonly cultivated for them for fresh cuttings.

Brickell, C., & Cole, T.J. (2004). Canadian Encyclopedia of Gardening. Toronto: Dorling Kindersley. Johnson, L. (2015). What Plant Where Encyclopedia. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Dorling Kindersley Limited DK.