Narrow-leaved New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus herbaceus

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Xanthotype sospeta, Schizura concinna, Hyalophora cecropia, Apodrepanulatrix liberaria, Erynnis martialis, Celastrina serotina, Acronicta lepusculina, Nemoria rubrifrontaria, Callophrys augustinus, Strymon melinus, Euchlaena marginaria
S13+S15 11 verified Eastern NA
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Pseudopanurgus pauper, Pseudopanurgus virginicus
S17 Ceanothus pollen specialists (genus-level association)
❄️ Winter Food Source: Ceanothus fruits are consumed by Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) and White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). The dark, 3-lobed capsules persist into autumn and early winter, providing a seed resource for overwintering finches and sparrows.
S57+S4

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Ranked S3 (Vulnerable) in Quebec, where populations are restricted to calcareous and sandy habitats along the Ottawa River in Pontiac County and the Gatineau Hills [S48+S54]. S4 (Apparently Secure) in Ontario. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. The species occupies a specialized niche on alvars and limestone escarpments that are inherently rare landscape features in Quebec.
S22+S26+S48+S54
Rarity Ranks: QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A characteristic shrub of alvars, sand plains, and xeric limestone outcrops in the Ottawa Valley. In Quebec, populations concentrate along the Ottawa River from Sand Bay (Pontiac) to Rocher a l'Oiseau, on calcareous or sandy substrates with open canopy. Associated with Quercus rubra, Juniperus communis, Comptonia peregrina, and little bluestem prairies [S48+S4]. Fixes nitrogen via actinorrhizal symbiosis, enriching nutrient-poor alvar soils [S61+S4].
S48+S4+S61

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, N-fixer
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match]; N-fixer: S4+S61+S46 actinorrhizal nitrogen fixation
Notes: An actinorrhizal nitrogen-fixer [S4+S61] that enriches nutrient-poor sandy and calcareous soils for neighboring plants. Its compact shrub form and dense foliage provide structural diversity in prairie and alvar guilds. Documented growing with Arctostaphilos uva-ursi, Comptonia peregrina, and Danthonia spicata on exposed rock and sand substrates.
S4+S61+S48

Category: Respiratory
S28 Chippewa cough medicine
Notes: Chippewa people used a decoction of the root as a cough remedy. The root was the primary medicinal part, prepared by boiling. One medicinal/drug use recorded in Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany Database.
S28

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Lakota people used the leaves to make a tea beverage. During the American Revolution, leaves of related Ceanothus species were widely used as a tea substitute, giving the genus its common name 'New Jersey tea'.
S28+S4