Edible Parts: Fruit  Inner bark
Edible Uses: Tea

Fruit[105, 155, 161, 177]. Used for food in New Mexico[183]. The berries are sweetened with sugar and used as food[257].. The fruit is about 5mm wide[200]. Strips of the inner bark can be eaten in the summer[257]. The leaves are used as a substitute for tea[183]. Edible Uses & Rating: Only the immature fruits (capsules and seeds together) have been reported as food, prepared as a mush. Given their extremely bitter, acrid, soapy taste and high saponin content, they rate very low as a food: an emergency, “desperate-times” resource at best, not a regular edible. The leaves can be used to make a fragrant but strongly soapy tea, which is more a curiosity than a beverage. Overall edibility rating would be very poor to marginal [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Kitchen Notes: Immature capsules of Fendler’s ceanothus taste acrid, bitter, and unmistakably soapy – the flavour profile is closer to shampoo than fruit. Cooking does little to improve this; boiling may leach some saponins into the water, but the mush remains strongly medicinal and unpleasant. The capsules never pass through a sweet or palatable stage: green, semi-mature capsules are firm and fleshy; fully mature capsules are dry, hard, and useless as food. Leaves brewed as tea yield a strongly aromatic, resinous, soapy drink with hints of balsam and “hardware-store” solvents; very dilute infusions may be tolerable, but they are not realistically comparable to conventional teas. From a culinary perspective, this species is best regarded as non-food [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): In its montane range, leaves are effectively evergreen, though some may be shed during winter drought or cold. Flowering generally occurs from late May through July, depending on elevation and latitude, with peak bloom in early summer. Immature capsules develop soon after flowering and remain fleshy for a relatively short window; by late summer to early autumn, they are already hard and dry. Because ceanothus is evergreen, foliage for tea can technically be taken almost any time the shrub is in leaf, although new growth is most abundant from spring through early summer [2-3]. Harvest & Processing Workflow: If one were to attempt to replicate historical mush from immature fruits (not recommended), fruits would be gathered while still green and fleshy, then boiled and mashed into a pulp with multiple changes of water to reduce the saponin load. Even with this processing, the result would likely remain acrid and soapy. For tea, leaves and flowering sprigs could be lightly crushed and steeped briefly in hot water, then diluted to reduce bitterness and soapiness. In both cases, the primary “value” is more medicinal, cleansing, or symbolic than nutritive. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: Fendler’s ceanothus may be confused with other small ceanothus shrubs or with unrelated small-leaved shrubs such as some Rhamnus (buckthorn) species. However, the combination of small alternate leaves, three-lobed capsules, Ceanothus-style flower clusters, and the distinctive ceanothus “soap” scent when flowers are rubbed is usually diagnostic. From a food-safety perspective, precise separation from other Ceanothus species does not greatly improve edibility, since all share the high-saponin problem, but misidentification with true buckthorns (some of which are more toxic) would be undesirable. Traditional/Indigenous Use Summary: Ethnobotanical references report immature fruits of buckbrush/deerbrier being cooked as mush and leaves or flowering tops of small ceanothus shrubs used to make cleansing foams, shampoos or external washes. The plant also served as browse for game species, indirectly supporting subsistence hunting. However, Ceanothus was not a staple food; rather, it was a minor or experimental plant used for occasional mush or beverages, and more often for non-food uses such as soap, ritual cleansing, and possibly medicine. Overall Plant Summary: Fendler’s ceanothus is a tough, drought-tolerant, evergreen shrub of the southern Rockies, ecologically valuable in dry montane woodlands and post-fire landscapes. Its white, fragrant flowers and abundant wildlife value make it an important native component of these ecosystems. As food, however, it is poorly suited: its immature fruits and leaves are intensely soapy and saponin-rich, making them unpalatable and potentially unsafe. This is a plant to appreciate for habitat and restoration roles, not as a regular wild edible.

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Sedative

The plant is sedative[155]. An infusion has been used to treat nervousness and a poultice of the plants also used for this purpose[257]. The leaves have been chewed to treat a sore mouth[257].

Dye  Soap

A green dye is obtained from the flowers[168]. All parts of the plant are rich in saponins - when crushed and mixed with water they produce a good lather which is an effective and gentle soap[155, 168, 169]. This soap is very good at removing dirt, though it does not remove oils very well. This means that when used on the skin it will not remove the natural body oils, but nor will it remove engine oil etc[K] The flowers are a very good source, when used as a body soap they leave behind a pleasant perfume on the skin[K]. The developing seed cases are also a very good source of saponins[K]. This species is rarely offered in the horticultural trade, but in principle it prefers conditions similar to other dryland ceanothus: full sun, lean, well-drained soil, and minimal summer water once established. Overwatering or heavy fertilisation can shorten lifespan and encourage root problems. It is best suited to naturalistic, xeric plantings or habitat restoration in its native range, rather than formal gardens. Ecology & Wildlife: Ecologically, Fendler’s ceanothus is far more valuable than it is edible. It provides important browse for deer and elk, particularly winter and early spring browse when other green vegetation is scarce. Shrubby structure offers cover and nesting sites for small birds and mammals. The abundant, nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies and other insects, making it a good pollinator plant. Like many Ceanothus species, it can form symbioses with actinomycete bacteria (Frankia) in root nodules, enabling it to fix atmospheric nitrogen and enrich nutrient-poor soils, particularly important in post-fire or eroded sites.

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer