Fendler's Ceanothus
Ceanothus fendleri
Fendler's ceanothus is a low, somewhat spiny nitrogen-fixer of Southwestern pine forests, with white flower clusters and important wildlife browse. Spreads modestly and fixes nitrogen on poor mountain soils. The berries, traditionally sweetened with sugar, and strips of inner bark have both served as food; the leaves make a tea substitute.
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 2–4 ft
- Spacing
- 3–6 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, acidic
- Bloom
- June, July
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~45 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- foundation, erosion control
- Native states
- AZ, CO, NM, SD, TX, UT, WY
Related native plants
More Ceanothus species
- Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
- Snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus)
- Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
- New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- Chaparral Whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis)
- Deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus)