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Inland ceanothus, Ceanothus herbaceous, is a small shrub that grows from Texas northward into the Great Plains. There are several species of Ceanothus found across the entire United States, most include a secondary name of Jersey tea. This name comes from Native American tribes who taught the early settlers to use the dried leaves of inland ceanothus for a medicinal drink. It is sometimes called redroot due to the boiled roots producing a red dye.
This plant grows as an erect shrub with slender, upright, reddish branches that may have a slight amount of pubescence, reaching a height of 24 to 36 inches with a spread of about 24 inches. Older twigs are dark gray. Leaves are alternate, deciduous, widest at...