Inland ceanothus

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Inland ceanothus flowers

Inland ceanothus fruit

Inland ceanothus

Inland ceanothus

Inland ceanothus inflorescence

Inland ceanothus leaf

Inland ceanothus flowers

Inland ceanothus leaf

Inland ceanothus

Inland ceanothus inflorescence

Inland ceanothus fruit

Inland ceanothus bark

Inland ceanothus

Inland ceanothus

Inland ceanothus inflorescence

Inland ceanothus fruit

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, 1 to several, much-branched; bark grayish brown; new growth densely hairy.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, short-stalked, narrowly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2.5 inches long, 1/4 to 3/4 inch wide, dark green and nearly glabrous above, paler and hairy below, prominently 3-veined; margins toothed; tips blunt to slightly pointed.

Inflorescence

Panicle-like, rounded, about 4 inches across, open to densely flowered, terminal, on leafy branches of current year's growth.

Flower

Small, white; calyces with 5 incurved lobes; petals 5, about 1/16 inch long, spoon-shaped, clawed; stamens 5.

Fruit

Capsules, less than 1/6 inch wide, 3-lobed, black; seeds 3, oblong, glabrous, brownish.

Ecology

Habitat

Open, prairie hillsides, limestone outcrops, partially wooded slopes, and roadsides, on rocky or sandy soils.

Distribution

East 2/3 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans made medicinal teas from the leaves and roots and also used the roots for fuel when wood was scarce. The leaves of Ceanothus americanus L. were used as a substitute for black tea during the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Additional Notes