Cedar Creek Natural History Area

Plants of Cedar Creek

 Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea) is an uncommon shrub found in a few widely separated old fields (SWE,MEM,B…).  It is one of the few non-leguminous plants that is a nitrogen fixer.  Two exotic aggressive species of Rhamnus that have become a serious problem here are the wetland R. frangula (Glossy Leaf Buckthorn) and the upland R. cathartica (Common Buckthorn).  Seeds are spread by bird droppings and have choked out the understory in some mesic woods and swamps near here (Martin Lake, Wilder Forest). Rhamnus alnifolia is a small (< 50 cm) uncommon native shrub of wet woodlands.