''Eriodictyon'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of plants known by the common name yerba santa within the

Hydrophylloideae Hydrophylloideae is a subfamily of the plant family Boraginaceae. Its taxonomic position is somewhat uncertain. Traditionally, and under the Cronquist system, the taxon was given family rank under the name Hydrophyllaceae, and treated as part of ...

subfamily of the borage family,

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the Borago, borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees, and herbs in 146 to 154 genus, genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single famil ...

. They are distributed throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Description

Most species grow as either perennial herbs or shrubs. They grow in a prostrate to ascending or erect stance. The stems are characterized by shredding barking. The leaves are cauline and alternate. The inflorescence is generally open and terminal. The corolla is funnel to urn shaped, and white, lavender or purple, and generally hairy on the abaxial surface. The sexual organs of the plant, including the stamens, filaments, and ovaries, are also generally hairy.. Accessed 14 December 2021 The fruits are 1 to 3 mm wide. The fruits are

schizocarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any Dry fruits, dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more ...

ic, and not all mericarpids are fertile. The seeds are striated, and colored a dark brown or black.

Taxonomy

Etymology

It includes California yerba santa (''Eriodictyon californica''), along with other similarly named plants. ''Yerba santa'' means "sacred herb" in the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

. The name ''Eriodictyon'', from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

e''rio'' + ''dictyon'' refers to the wooly surface of the abaxial leaves.

Subdivisions

There are 11 species native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. 6 species are used by

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. # '' Eriodictyon altissimum'' — Indian Knob mountainbalm # '' Eriodictyon angustifolium'' — Narrow-leaved yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon californicum'' — California yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon capitatum'' — Lompoc yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon crassifolium'' — Thick-leaved yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon lobbii'' — Dwarf yerba santa, also known as ''Nama lobbii''. # '' Eriodictyon parryi'' — Poodle-dog bush #'' Eriodictyon sessilifolium —'' Baja California yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon tomentosum'' — Woolly yerba santa # '' Eriodictyon traskiae'' — Pacific yerba santa # ''

Eriodictyon trichocalyx ''Eriodictyon trichocalyx'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name hairy yerba santa. Distribution It is native to Southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several habitat types, includ ...

'' — Hairy yerba santa

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile: ''Eriodictyon''''Eriodictyon''.
CalFlora. {{Authority control Boraginaceae genera