Ceanothus americanus

New Jersey tea is a compact, deciduous shrub that most often grows to only three feet tall and equally wide. It is common on dry plains, prairies, or similar open areas, on soils that are sandy or rocky, throughout Eastern North America and in the majority of NC counties. Leaves are deep green, serrated, broadly ovate and pointed. The foliage is aromatic, and the common name recalls its use as a tea-substitute in Revolutionary War days. The pure bright white flowers of New Jersey Tea, oval clusters of many tiny flowers, are also fragrant, and showy, occurring in clusters. Requiring little maintenance, New Jersey Tea will thrive in well-drained soil in sun or partial shade and can tolerate drier conditions once established due to its deep, red root system. These deep roots also make the plant difficult to transplant, however. New Jersey Tea is a larval food source for the mottled Dusky-wing, and Spring Azure Butterfly and attracts hummingbirds as well.