CEANOTHUS

'''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'').

Contents

Uses

Propagation

References

Uses

''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].
Several members of this genus, including Ceanothus americanus, form a symbiotic relationship with soil micro-organisms, forming root nodules which fix atmospheric nitrogen. This nitrogen is available to other adjacent plants, and may play an important role in forest regeneration as it creates nutrient-rich patches in forest habitats.

Propagation

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, it has been estimated, can remain viable for about 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

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★ ''Ceanothus cuneatus'' var. ''fascicularis'' (McMinn) - Hoover Sedgeleaf Buckbrush

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★ ''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

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★ ''Ceanothus foliosus'' var. ''foliosus'' - Wavyleaf Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus foliosus'' var. ''medius'' McMinn - Wavyleaf Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus foliosus'' var. ''vineatus'' McMinn - Vine Hill Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus fresnensis'' Dudley ex Abrams - Fresno Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus gloriosus'' J.T. Howell - Point Reyes Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus gloriosus'' var. ''exaltatus'' J.T. Howell - Point Reyes Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus gloriosus'' var. ''gloriosus'' - Point Reyes Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus gloriosus'' var. ''porrectus'' J.T. Howell - Mt. Vision Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus greggii'' Gray - Desert Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus greggii'' var. ''greggii '' - Desert Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus greggii'' var. ''perplexans'' (Trel.) Jepson - Desert Ceanothus

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★ ''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

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★ ''Ceanothus impressus'' var. ''impressus'' - Santa Barbara Ceanothus

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★ ''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

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★ ''Ceanothus jepsonii'' var. ''albiflorus'' J.T. Howell - Jepson Ceanothus

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★ ''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

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★ ''Ceanothus megacarpus'' var. ''insularis'' (Eastw.) Munz - Island Ceanothus

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★ ''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

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★ ''Ceanothus papillosus'' var. ''papillosus'' - Wartleaf Ceanothus

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★ ''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'' Green Bark Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus thyrsiflorus'' Eschsch. - Blueblossom

★ ''Ceanothus tomentosus'' Parry - Woolyleaf Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus velutinus'' Dougl. ex Hook. - Snowbrush Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus velutinus'' var. ''hookeri'' M.C. Johnston - Hooker's Ceanothus

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★ ''Ceanothus velutinus'' var. ''velutinus'' - Snowbrush Ceanothus

★ ''Ceanothus verrucosus'' Nutt. - Barranca Brush

References

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