• Source: Ceanothus velutinus

Ceanothus velutinus, with the common names snowbrush ceanothus, red root, tobacco brush, and sticky laurel, is a species of shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado.




Description



Ceanothus velutinus grows up to 4 metres (13 feet) tall but generally remains under three, and forms colonies of individuals which tangle together to form nearly impenetrable thickets. The aromatic evergreen leaves are alternately arranged, each up to 8 centimetres (3 inches) long. The leaves are oval in shape with minute glandular teeth along the edges, and shiny green and hairless on the top surface.
The plentiful inflorescences are long clusters of white flowers. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule a few millimeters long which snaps open explosively to expel the three seeds onto the soil, where they may remain in a buried seed bank for well over 200 years before sprouting. The seed is coated in a very hard outer layer that must be scarified, generally by wildfire, before it can germinate. Like most other Ceanothus, this species fixes nitrogen via actinomycetes in its root nodules.




Distribution and habitat


Ceanothus velutinus is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in hills and mountains in several habitat types including open coniferous forest and chaparral, often in rocky soils.




Uses


Deer and elk browse the plant during winter.
Some Plateau Indian tribes drank a boil of this plant to induce sweating as a treatment for colds, fevers, and influenza. Leaves were also used when rinsing to help prevent dandruff.
Ceanothus velutinus was known as "red root" by many Native American tribes due to the color of the inner root bark, and was used as a medicine for treating lymphatic disorders, ovarian cysts, fibroid tumors, and tonsillitis.




References






External links



Jepson Manual Treatment - Ceanothus velutinus
USDA Plants Profile: Ceanothus velutinus
Ceanothus velutinus - Photo gallery

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Ceanothus velutinus
• Ceanothus
• Pinus washoensis
• Tischeria ceanothi
• Ponderosa pine forest
• Actinorhizal plant
• List of Canadian plants by family R
• Western tanager
• Andropolia theodori
• Eupithecia misturata