CEANOTHUS

genus of North American shrubs, of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), comprising about 55 species. The leaves are alternate or opposite. The very small blue or white flowers are borne in profuse, erect clusters. Ceanothus americanus, commonly called New Jersey tea, occurs from Canada to Florida. During the American Revolutionary War, its leaves were used as a tea substitute. The plant grows about 1 m (3 feet) tall and has deciduous, rather oval leaves. The white flowers grow in a flat-topped cluster. C. arboreus, called Catalina, or felt-leaf, ceanothus, an evergreen tree occurring on the islands off the coast of California, has leaves with a dark green upper surface and a dense white pubescence beneath. The tree, 58 m high, bears fragrant blue flowers in the early spring.