New Jersey Tea

(Ceanothus americanus)

Other Names:
Red Root, Mountain Sweet, Wild Snowball

Range:


Family:
Rhamnaceae - Buckthorn Family

Growth Type:
A compace, dense, rounded deciduous shrub.

Height:
18 - 42" tall

Leaves:
Leaf color is medium to dark green. The broad-ovate leaves have toothed margins, and grow to a lengt of 4inches. The undersides are gray in color and covered in hairs.

Stem/Trunk:
Young twigs are noticeably yellow and stand out in winter.

Root:
A thick fibrous root system with root hairs close to the surface. The remainder of the root system consists of thick, woody roots that reach deep into the earth to protect them from repeated wildfire exposure.

Flower Season:
Late spring

Flower Appearance:
Cylindrical clusters of tiny 1-2" long, fragrant, white flowers. Individual flowers are approximately 1/8" across, and they appear on long stalks at the stem ends or upper leaf axils.

Seed/Fruit:
The fruits consist of dry seed capsules which split open as the seeds ripen.

Miscellaneous characteristics:
N/A

Habitat:
The plant likes to grow in dry sandy or rocky soils of open areas and praries. They also grow along forest margins, in forest clearings, along the dry banks of lakeshores, and on gentle slopes.

Parts Used:
Leaves

Culinary Uses:
The leavese can be used to brew a delicious tea.

Traditional Medicinal Uses:
Used to treat shortness of breath, bloating, colds, constipation, diarrhea, as a digestive tonic, and to improve blood flow.

Medicinal Actions:
Antifungal, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Astringent, Antispasmodic, Cardiac Tonic, Carminative, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Hemostatic, Febrifuge, Lymphatic, Parasiticide, Soporific, Vermifuge