New Jersey tea

noun

1. a North American shrub, Ceanothus americanus, of the buckthorn family, the leaves of which were used as a substitute for tea during the American Revolution.

Word History and Origins

Origin of New Jersey tea¹

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

A shrub that you will find in bloom in the July woods is the New Jersey Tea, with its clusters of feathery flowers.

From Project Gutenberg

The leaves of one of these, C. americanus, New Jersey tea, or red-root, are used instead of the true tea; the root, which contains a red colouring matter, has long been employed by the Indians as a febrifuge.

From Project Gutenberg

Among them was the Ceanothus americanus, or New Jersey tea, the leaves of which, mamma read to me, were used for tea during the American Revolution.

From Project Gutenberg

On the sandy bank which makes the background for this scene of splendor, the New Jersey tea, known better as the red-root, lifts its feathery white plumes above restful, gray-green leaves.

From Project Gutenberg

Those long creeping lines on which the crystals sparkle are only brambles, and that big rosette of rusty red and fluffy white is the New Jersey tea.

From Project Gutenberg