Quercus

New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus americanus

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Care

  • Avoid wet soil.
  • Choose a lasting spot; established plants are difficult to move.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

41CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Ceanothus

  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylis semiovanaHalf-Oval Ancylis
  • Apodrepanulatrix liberariaBarrens Carpet
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Callophrys augustinusThe Brown Elfin
  • Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
Show all 41
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Erastria colorariaBroad-Lined Erastria
  • Erastria cruentariaThin-Lined Erastria
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Eupithecia columbiataColumbia Pug
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Gesta martialisMottled Duskywing
  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypena bijugalisDimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Snout
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Lyonetia prunifoliellaStriped Bent-wing
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nemoria rubrifrontariaRed-Fronted Emerald
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Redectis vitreaWhite-Spotted Redactis
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
  • Zale minereaColorful Zale
  • Lithacodes fiskeanus
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
46BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ceanothus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Ceanothus

  • Protandrena pauper
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ceanothus

  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Beetles 9
  • Centrinites strigicollis
  • Centrinus picumnus
  • Centrinus scutellum album
  • Cryptorhopalum haemorrhoidale
  • Diabrotica 12-punctata
  • Limonius griseus
  • Oxacis thoracica
  • Trichius piger
  • Typocerus sinuatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 25
  • Anthrax sinuosa
  • Archytas analis
  • Archytas aterrima
  • Cistogaster occidua
  • Exorista confinis
  • Limnophora narona
  • Morellia micans
  • Musca domestica
  • Nemotelus glaber
  • Orthoneura nitida
Show all 25
  • Paradidyma singularis
  • Phorantha purpurascens
  • Phormia regina
  • Sarcophaga sinuata
  • Sciara atrata
  • Sepsis violacea
  • Siphona geniculata
  • Spallanzania hesperidarum
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Syrphus americanus
  • Trichophora ruficauda
  • Tropidia quadrata
  • Trypeta humilis
  • Xanthomelana arcuata
  • Zodion fulvifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 2
  • Thecla calanus
  • Thecla sylvinus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 21
  • Ancistrocerus tigris
  • Anoplius illinoensis
  • Cerceris clypeata
  • Cerceris compar
  • Cerceris robertsonii
  • Cerceris rufinoda
  • Ceropales robinsonii
  • Eumenes fraternus
  • Isodontia apicalis
  • Leionotus dorsalis
Show all 21
  • Leionotus fulvipes
  • Leionotus fundatus
  • Leionotus illinoensis
  • Oxybelus 4-notatus
  • Poecilopompilus navus
  • Polistes variatus
  • Pompiloides marginatus
  • Psammochares relativus
  • Sphex nigricans
  • Tachysphex acutus
  • Tachysphex belfragei

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other insects 4
  • Calocoris rapidus
  • Canthophorus cinctus
  • Lygaeus turcicus
  • Lygus pratensis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rhamnaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

New Jersey Tea

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources