Description:
This shrubby native perennial is up to 3' tall. It tillers at the base,
sending up multiple stems. These stems are light green and covered with
fine white hairs, becoming woody with age in the absence of fire or
browsing from animals. The alternate or opposite leaves are up to 3"
long and 2" across. They are sessile or have small petioles, and are
broadly lanceolate or ovate, with conspicuous veins. The major veins
are palmate, from which side veins radiate outward pinnately. The
undersides of the leaves are light green and covered with fine white
hairs. The leaf margins are smooth or finely serrate, and slightly
ciliate. From the axils of the upper leaves emerge long-stalked
clusters of numerous white flowers. These clusters of flowers are
elongated and rounded. Each flower consists of a long slender tube
terminating in 5 folded calyxes. When these open, 5 hatchet-shaped
petals with slender bases spread outward, while a large white pistil
and 5 stamens with dark gray anthers emerge from the center of the
flower. These flowers have a pleasant fragrance. The blooming period
lasts about a month during early summer. Later, fruits form that can be
mechanically ejected several feet from the mother plant. Each one
contains 3 glossy brown, eliptical seeds. The root system consists of a
stout, deeply anchored reddish taproot.
Cultivation:
The preference is full or partial sun and average to slightly dry
conditions. The soil can contain loam, rocks, or sand. This plant adds
some nitrogen to the soil. Germination from seed can be slow and
difficult – exposing them to hot water may be helpful. Transplants are
easier to manage and faster to develop. Drought resistance is very good
– under severe conditions, the leaves will become discolored and
shrivel, but quickly revive when rainfall returns. Foliar disease is
rarely a significant problem.
Range & Habitat:
New Jersey Tea occurs throughout Illinois, except for a few counties in
the southern portion of the state (see Distribution
Map). It is occasional to locally common in high quality
habitats, but uncommon elsewhere. Habitats include mesic to dry black
soil prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, Black Oak savannas,
rocky upland forests, limestone glades, and barrens with stunted trees.
Fire is a beneficial management tool in promoting the development and
spread of this plant.
Faunal Associations:
The flowers attract numerous insects, especially bees, wasps, flies,
and beetles. Butterflies and moths visit the flowers occasionally.
These insects obtain nectar from the flowers, although bees may also
collect pollen. Among the wasps, are such visitors as Mud Daubers,
Beetle Wasps, Sand Wasps, Spider Wasps, and Crabronine wasps. Fly
visitors include Syrphid flies, Thick-Headed flies, Tachinid flies,
Blow flies, Muscid flies, and others. The caterpillars of the butterfly
Celestrina argiolus (Spring/Summer Azure) and the
skipper Erynnis martialis (Mottled Duskywing) feed
on the foliage. The caterpillars of a few moth species also feed on the
foliage, including Hesperymia sulphuraria (Sulfur
Moth), Nemoria rubrifrontaria (Red-Fronted
Emerald), and Erastria coloraria (Broad-Lined
Erastria). The latter moth often flies during the day. Sometimes Mordella
spp. (Tumbling Flower Beetles) are found on the flowers,
which they eat. The foliage and stems of New Jersey Tea are readily
consumed by various mammalian herbiovres, including elk (native in
Illinois at one time), deer, rabbits, and livestock. This can make the
establishment of this plant difficult where there is an overpopulation
of these animals.
Photographic Location:
The photographs were taken at Loda Cemetery Prairie in Iroquois County,
Illinois.
Comments:
This little shrub has a lot going for it from both a horticultural and
ecological perspective. It was used by colonists during the
Revolutionary War as a substitute for tea (hence the common name), even
though the leaves contain no caffeine. Early pioneers discovered that
the stout roots of New Jersey Tea were a formidable barrier to the
plow. More recently, it has been discovered that the roots contain a
blood-clotting agent.