Yerba Santa
Eriodictyon californicum
Nama Family (Namaceae)
Native
Key Identifying Characteristics
Flowering shrub with dark green leathery leaves and white to purplish trumpet shaped flowers.
Height / Size
3 to 9 feet
Leaves
Narrow, dark green, leathery leaves are oblong to lanceolate, up to 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide, with serrated edges. Underside of the leaves (abaxial surface) is generally much lighter green than the upper surface (adaxial). Leaves and stems are often infected with a sooty fungus which turns them black, but is not thought to be harmful to the plant. Leaves may be sticky.
Flower
White trumpet shaped flowers with five bluish-purple tips cluster at the end of stems. Each flower has 2 pistils and 5 white tipped stamens. Inflorescence is a scorpoid cyme, a flower arrangement where the secondary buds develop alternately on the stem creating a zigzag pattern.
Bloom Time: April to June
Fruit / Seed
Ovary has 2 chambers, one for each pistil, producing a 4 part nutlet that has to be pried open by the birds and small mammals that eat it.
Habitat
Grows in chaparral, woodlands, and forested areas in dry, rocky soils.
Location / Range
Found on all trails. Found throughout Central and Northern California and parts of Oregon.
Lifespan
Perennial. Yerba Santa resprouts after fire from horizontal roots (rhizomes).
Fascinating / Fun Facts
The leaves emit a strong, bitter scent considered unpleasant and generally avoided by animals. Yerba Santa means ‘sacred herb’ in Spanish.
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Ethnobotany
The Amah Mutsun people use young leaves (particularly after fire) for a wide range of applications, primarily as an expectorant and to treat various bronchial issues and other lung and throat conditions.
To learn how the Ohlone people use this plant see: Native American Ethnobotany Database
Sources:
Calflora
Calscape
Corelli, T. 2004. Flowering Plants of Edgewood Natural Preserve (2nd. ed.). Monocot Press, Half Moon Bay, California. pg. 180
Jepson eFlora
VanderWerf, Barbara. 1994. Montara Mountain. Gum Tree Lane Books, El Granada, CA. pg. 92
PlantID.net for San Pedro Valley CP (NRDB.org)
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band