Ceanothus fendleri
| Ceanothus fendleri | |
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| Species: | C. fendleri
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| Ceanothus fendleri A. Gray
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Ceanothus fendleri or Fendler's ceanothus is a species of flowering shrub native to northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and the northeastern Texas panhandle, Utah, Colorado, eastern Wyoming, and western South Dakota.[1][2] Its typical habitat is pine forests from 1,500 to 3,000 meters (5000 to 10,000 feet) in altitude.[1]
It seldom exceeds 1 m (3 ft) tall. The stems and twigs are grayish green when young, reddish brown when mature, armed with spines up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long. The leaves are grayish green and thick, with dense woolly hair on the underside.[1]
The flowers are small and white, borne in thick clusters emanating from the leaf axils. They all open at once, so the plant is covered with bloom. This usually happens in June or July, but may be any time from April to October according to the altitude and weather. As in other ceanothuses, there are five spoon-shaped or hooded petals, each partly covering a stamen.[1]
Some have dried the leaves as a substitute for tea. The Acoma and Laguna Pueblo people ate the fruits. The Navajos combined this shrub and green gentian to make a medicine, applied internally or externally, for "alarm and nervousness".[1]
Deer are particularly fond of browsing on Fendler's ceanothus. Porcupines eat it as well, and jackrabbits and livestock do to a lesser extent.[1]
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