New Jersey Tea, Mountain Snowbell

Ceanothus americanus

See-an-OH-thus  a-mer-ih-KAY-nus

2013 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year

Synonyms of Ceanothus americanus (27) (Updated on 7-10-28 from Plants of the World Online): Ceanothus americanus var. glaber Alph.Wood (1861), Ceanothus americanus var. intermedius (Pursh) K.Koch (1853), Ceanothus americanus var. pitcheri Torr. & A.Gray (1838), Ceanothus decumbens Steud. (1840) (not validly publ.), Ceanothus dillenianus K.Koch (1869), Ceanothus ellipticus Raf., (1838), Ceanothus glomeratus Raf. (1838), Ceanothus hybridus K.Koch (1869), Ceanothus intermedius Pursh (1813), Ceanothus latifolius Raf. (1838), Ceanothus levigatus Raf. (1838), Ceanothus macrocarpus Steud. (1840) (not validly publ.), Ceanothus macrophyllus Dippel (1891), Ceanothus macrophyllus Desf. (1815), Ceanothus milleri Tausch (1838), Ceanothus multiflorus Dippel (1891), Ceanothus officinalis Raf. (1830), Ceanothus ovalifolius Wender. (1830), Ceanothus ovalis var. intermedius (Pursh) Torr. (1848), Ceanothus perennis Pursh (1813), Ceanothus pitcheri Pickering ex Torr. & A.Gray (1838), Ceanothus procumbens K.Koch (1869), Ceanothus reclinatus Bosc ex Steud. (1840) (not validly publ.), Ceanothus sanguineus Nutt. (1818), Ceanothus tardiflorus Hornem. (1813), Ceanothus trinervus Moench (1794), Ceanothus virgatus Raf. (1838)

Ceanothus americanus L. Is the accepted scientific name for this species. The genus and species were names as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first edition of the first volume of Species Plantarum in 1753.

As of 7-4-26 when this page was first published, Plants of the World Online lists 60 species in the Ceanothus genus. It is a member of the plant family Rhamnaceae with 64 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Ceanothus americanus is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native. The map on the USDA Plants Database is similar.

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A POSITIVE ID.

Until May 4 in 2025, I had been identifying wildflowers on the family farm, a friends farm and woods, along back roads and highways, etc. Then, on May 4 in 2025, a friend invited me to visit a private native prairie. It was incredible and I photographed 11 new to me species! We went back again on 4-19-26. I took friends on May 3, and there wasn’t much to see then. Then, on June 8 in 2026, he took me to the Lordi Marker Prairie then to Drover’s Prairie where I photographed 19 species, 10 new to me. On 6-22-26, I took my son, and we went to the Friendly Prairie for the first time, then on to the Lordi Marker and Drover’s Prairie. I photographed 22 species at the Friendly Prairie, 6 species at Lordi Marker Prairie, and 17 species at Drover’s Prairie. 11 more new to me. I went back to the Friendly and Drover’s Prairies on July 28 and photographed 12 species with 2 being new-to-me.

When I visited the Lordi Marker Prairie with Walter on on June 8 in 2026, I ran across A LOT of this new to me species. Of course I took a lot of photos and saved the best. I uploaded the first one on the iNaturalist drag and drop feature (have to be logged in) and their first suggestion was Ceanothus americanus. I cross-referenced the species on the Missouri Plants website and found iNaturalist to be right again.

 

I apologize for not writing descriptions when I published this page. I wanted to get the photos online and I will come back at some point and write descriptions. There are several links at the bottom of the page with a lot of information and great descriptions.

 

 

 

 

I know I will be returning to the prairies off and on to take more photos and find more new to me species.

I live on the family farm in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be variable from location to location, so that can be a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and they have provided much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated.  

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
iNATURALIST
MISSOURI PLANTS
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
DAVE’S GARDEN
FLORA FINDER
FRIENDS OF THE WILDFLOWER GARDEN
GO BOTANY
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
IOWA PLANTS
KANSAS NATIVE PLANTS
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
MAINE DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE…
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
PFAF (PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
U.S. WILDFLOWER

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂