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Ceanothus
Ceanothus americanus flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rhamnaceae Genus: Ceanothus L.
Species
See text

Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, with the center of its distribution in California but some species (e.g. C. americanus) in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others (e.g. C. coeruleus) extending as far south as Guatemala. Most are shrubs 0.5–3 m tall, but C. arboreus and C. thyrsiflorus, both from California, can be small trees up to 6–7 m tall.

The majority of the species are evergreen, but the handful of species adapted to cold winters are deciduous. The leaves are opposite or alternate (depending on species), small (typically 1–5 cm long), simple, and mostly with serrated margins. The flowers are white, blue, pale purple or pink, maturing into a dry, three-lobed seed capsule.

The Californian species are sometimes known as California-lilac, but not surprisingly, the species found elsewhere have other common names, e.g. New Jersey Tea for C. americanus (as its leaves were used as a black tea substitute during colonial times).[1] In garden use, most are simply called by their scientific names or an adaptation of the scientific name, e.g. Maritime Ceanothus for C. maritimus.

Many species are popular garden ornamental plants, and dozens of hybrids and cultivars have been selected, such as Flexible Ceanothus, Ceanothus × flexilis Greene ex McMinn (C. cuneatus × C. prostratus).

Ceanothus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the bucculatricid leaf-miners Bucculatrix anaticula and Bucculatrix ceanothiella and the gelechiid Chionodes ceanothiella which all feed exclusively on the genus. Chionodes occidentella is a polyphagous species which has been recorded on Ceanothus.

Ceanothus is also a good source of nutrition for deer, specifically mule deer on the west coast. However, the leaves are not as nutritious from late spring to early fall as they are in early spring. Porcupines and quail have also been seen eating stems and seeds of these shrubs. The leaves are a good source of protein and the stems and leaves have been found to contain a high amount of calcium [3].

Other uses of Ceanothus include medicinal and food sources of Native American Indians. Miwok Indians of California made baskets from Deer Brush branches [3]. C. integerrimus has been used by North American tribes to treat women who have suffered from a difficult birth [4]. Other Ceanothus species have also been used medicinally to treat high blood pressure and as a treatment to soothe mouth and throat ailments [1].

Ceanothus is a good source of nitrogen in forests and possibly plays an important role in forest regeneration as it creates nutrient-rich patches in forest habitats.

Propagation of Ceanothus is by seed, following scarification and stratification. Seeds are soaked in water for 12 hours followed by chilling at 1 °C for one to three months. It can also sprout from roots and/or stems [2]. Seeds are stored in duff in large quantities. It is estimated that there are about two million seeds per acre in forest habitats [3]. Seed are dispersed propulsively from capsules and are also very long-lived. It has been estimated that they can remain viable for approximately a hundred years.

Selected species

• Ceanothus americanus L. - New Jersey Tea; Red Root
• Ceanothus arboreus Greene - Feltleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus confusus J.T. Howell - Rincon Ridge Ceanothus
• Ceanothus connivens Greene - Trailing Buckbrush
• Ceanothus cordulatus Kellogg - Whitethorn Ceanothus
• Ceanothus crassifolius Torr. - Hoaryleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus cuneatus (Hook.) Nutt. - Buckbrush
  • Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascicularis (McMinn) - Hoover Sedgeleaf Buckbrush
  • Ceanothus cuneatus var. rigidus (Nutt.) Hoover - Monterey Ceanothus
• Ceanothus cyaneus Eastw. - San Diego Buckbrush
• Ceanothus dentatus Torr. & Gray - Sandscrub Ceanothus
• Ceanothus divergens Parry - Calistoga Ceanothus
• Ceanothus diversifolius Kellogg - Pinemat
• Ceanothus fendleri Gray - Fendler's Ceanothus
• Ceanothus ferrisiae McMinn - Coyote Ceanothus
• Ceanothus foliosus Parry - Wavyleaf Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus foliosus var. foliosus - Wavyleaf Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus foliosus var. medius McMinn - Wavyleaf Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus foliosus var. vineatus McMinn - Vine Hill Ceanothus
• Ceanothus fresnensis Dudley ex Abrams - Fresno Ceanothus
• Ceanothus gloriosus J.T. Howell - Point Reyes Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus gloriosus var. exaltatus J.T. Howell - Point Reyes Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus gloriosus var. gloriosus - Point Reyes Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus J.T. Howell - Mt. Vision Ceanothus
• Ceanothus greggii Gray - Desert Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus greggii var. greggii - Desert Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus greggii var. perplexans (Trel.) Jepson - Desert Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus (Greene) McMinn - Mojave Ceanothus
• Ceanothus griseus (Trel. ex B.L. Robins.) McMinn - Carmel Ceanothus
• Ceanothus hearstiorum Hoover & J.B. Roof - Hearst Ranch Buckbrush
• Ceanothus herbaceus Raf. - Jersey Tea
• Ceanothus impressus Trel. - Santa Barbara Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus impressus var. impressus - Santa Barbara Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus impressus var. nipomensis McMinn - Santa Barbara Ceanothus
• Ceanothus incanus Torr. & Gray - Coast Whitethorn
• Ceanothus integerrimus Hook. & Arn. - Deerbrush Ceanothus
• Ceanothus jepsonii Greene - Jepson Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus jepsonii var. albiflorus J.T. Howell - Jepson Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus jepsonii var. jepsonii - Jepson Ceanothus
• Ceanothus lemmonii Parry - Lemmon's Ceanothus
• Ceanothus leucodermis Greene - Chaparral Whitethorn
• Ceanothus maritimus Hoover - Maritime Ceanothus
• Ceanothus martinii M.E. Jones - Martin's Ceanothus
• Ceanothus masonii McMinn - Mason's Ceanothus
• Ceanothus megacarpus Nutt. - Bigpod Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus megacarpus var. insularis (Eastw.) Munz - Island Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus megacarpus var. megacarpus - Bigpod Ceanothus
• Ceanothus microphyllus Michx. - Littleleaf Buckbrush
• Ceanothus oliganthus Nutt. - Hairy Ceanothus
• Ceanothus ophiochilus Boyd, Ross & Arnseth - Vail Lake Ceanothus
• Ceanothus palmeri Trel. - Palmer Ceanothus
• Ceanothus papillosus Torr. & Gray - Wartleaf Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus papillosus var. papillosus - Wartleaf Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus papillosus var. roweanus McMinn - Wartleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus parryi Trel. - Parry Ceanothus
• Ceanothus parvifolius (S. Wats.) Trel. - Littleleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus pinetorum Coville - Coville Ceanothus
• Ceanothus prostratus Benth. - Prostrate Ceanothus
• Ceanothus pumilus Greene - Dwarf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus purpureus Jepson - Hollyleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus roderickii Knight - Pine Hill Buckbrush
• Ceanothus sanguineus Pursh - Redstem Ceanothus
• Ceanothus serpyllifolius Nutt. - Coastal Plain Buckbrush
• Ceanothus sonomensis J.T. Howell - Sonoma Ceanothus
• Ceanothus sorediatus Hook. & Arn. - Jimbrush Ceanothus
• Ceanothus spinosus Nutt. - Redheart Ceanothus
• Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Eschsch. - Blueblossom
• Ceanothus tomentosus Parry - Woolyleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus velutinus Dougl. ex Hook. - Snowbrush Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus velutinus var. hookeri M.C. Johnston - Hooker's Ceanothus
  • Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus - Snowbrush Ceanothus
• Ceanothus verrucosus Nutt. - Barranca Brush

1. University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Plant Database: Ceanothus americanus
2. Plants for a Future: Ceanothus integerrimus.
3. Fire Effects Information: Ceanothus integerrimus
4. Moerman, D. (1988). Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, Oregon.