''Eriodictyon crassifolium'', or thickleaf yerba santa, is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

in the

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

. "Crassifolium" means "thick leaf." The plant has thick, wooly leaves. It is native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

Description

''Eriodictyon crassifolium'' is a hairy to woolly shrub growing one to three meters tall. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long by 6 wide, dark green, and sometimes toothed along the edges. The underside of the leaf is hairy, while the top may be less hairy and more hard and leathery. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a cluster of bell-shaped lavender flowers. The stems are woody and branching. The plant can be easily confused with ''E. trichocalyx'' and ''E. californicum'' (two other species of yerba santa) or, more consequentially, with the toxic ''E. parryi'' (poodle-dog bush). ''E. parryi'' grows in the same environments, but normally in disturbed landscapes such as burn areas. ''E. parryi'' is an extremely potent skin irritant. Information about distinguishing the species is given in the article on ''E. parryi''.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to

and

, where it grows in several types of habitat, including

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

, in the coastal and inland hills and mountains, mainly in the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

part of the state, south of the latitude of the Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo county line and extending from the coast inland through the

Coast Ranges The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States; ; ) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Althoug ...

and

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of Southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa Ba ...

. In Baja California, it is found in the vicinity of La Misión, in the northern part of the state. It grows mostly on dry slopes and in washes. It is commonly found along roadsides, and may also grow on mesas or in river bottoms. It can grow by crown sprouting in disturbed areas. In the

, it grows at elevations of up to 2500 m (8000 ft), although it is more common below 1800 m (6000 ft). Plants growing at the lower elevations may be up to 2 m tall and thickly vegetated.

Uses

It was traditionally used by the

Chumash people The Chumash are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now Kern County, California, Kern, San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis O ...

to keep airways open for proper breathing. The leaves can be chewed like gum or made into a bitter tea,D. Kirk, Wild edible plants of western North America, p. 234 although some people consider their odor unpleasant. When gathering the leaves for human consumption, it is important to accurately distinguish the plant from the toxic ''E. parryi''.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Eriodictyon crassifolium''''Eriodictyon crassifolium'' — Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389331 crassifolium Endemic flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora without expected TNC conservation status