Ceanothus diversifolius
Ceanothus americanus
pine mat
céanothe d'amérique, Jersey tea ceanothus, New Jersey redroot, New Jersey-tea
spreading, sometimes rooting at nodes;
branchlets green, sometimes tinged red, not thorn-tipped, usually round, sometimes angled, in cross section, flexible, puberulent.
petiole 3–11 mm;
blade flat, elliptic to widely ovate, 12–45 × 6–20 mm, base obtuse to rounded, margins serrulate to denticulate, not revolute, usually not wavy, sometimes wavy, teeth 27–42, apex ± obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface pale green, pilosulous, adaxial surface green, pilosulous; usually pinnately veined, rarely 3-veined from base.
petiole 4–13 mm;
blade not aromatic, flat, ovate to ovate-oblong, (20–)30–100 × 15–64 mm, herbaceous, not resinous, base rounded, margins serrate to serrulate, teeth 54–130+, apex usually acuminate to acute, rarely obtuse, abaxial surface pale green, puberulent, especially on veins, adaxial surface dark green, dull, puberulent, especially on major veins; 3-veined from base.
axillary, umbel-like to racemelike, 1.3–4 cm.
terminal or axillary, paniclelike, cylindric to conic, 3–14 cm.
sepals, petals, and nectary usually blue to pale blue, rarely white.
sepals, petals, and nectary white.
4–5 mm wide, weakly lobed near apex;
valves smooth, crested.
4–6 mm wide, not lobed;
valves ± rugulose, crested.
= 24.
Ceanothus diversifolius
Ceanothus americanus
Ceanothus diversifolius occurs in the North Coast Ranges and the western slopes of the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada; it often forms mats to two meters wide. Marginal teeth on young leaves are notable in having more or less persistent, narrowly conic glands, not seen elsewhere in Ceanothus.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Ceanothus americanus is closely related to C. herbaceus and C. sanguineus. Ceanothus herbaceus differs in having narrower leaf blades, short peduncles, and globose to hemispheric inflorescences. Ceanothus sanguineus, which occurs in western North America (except for a disjunct population in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), differs by smooth fruit valves and inflorescences borne on stems older than the current year. Three varieties, var. americanus, var. intermedius, and var. pitcheri, have been recognized within C. americanus, based on leaf shape and indumentum (M. L. Fernald 1950; H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist 1991), but N. C. Coile (1988) provided evidence for clinal intergradation among them.
An infusion of Ceanothus americanus leaves or bark was used widely by Native Americans as an anti-inflammatory and to treat gastrointestinal ailments (D. E. Moerman 1998). The dried leaves were used as a tea substitute during the American Revolution (N. L. Britton and A. Brown 1896–1898, vol. 2).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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