New Jersey Tea Seedling

(Ceanothus americanus) is a compact, mounding native North American shrub known for its masses of tiny, fragrant white flowers in early summer that attract pollinators, glossy green leaves turning reddish in fall, and a deep, woody root system that makes it drought-tolerant and great for erosion control but hard to transplant. Colonists used its leaves for caffeine-free tea, and herbalists value its roots for medicinal uses, offering a sturdy, attractive, low-growing plant for sunny, well-drained sites.

Picture credits: unknown author, USFWS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons