Eriodictyon traskiae var. smithii

Smith's yerba santa, Smith's Yerba Santa

Family: Namaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Smith's yerba santa is a California native shrub found in the southern Santa Lucia Mountains and western Transverse Ranges in chaparral and disturbed slopes at elevations of 150 to 1,430 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers with corollas 7 to 10 millimeters long. Growing with sturdy branches up to one meter tall, it often appears in areas recently affected by wildfires. Its leaves are distinctive, with elliptic blades 8 to 14 centimeters long and 1.5 to 4 centimeters wide, carried on petioles 10 to 20 millimeters long. The plant's ability to regenerate after fire makes it an important species in California's chaparral ecosystems.

Habitat: Slopes, disturbed areas, often following fires, chaparral

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 150-1430 m

Bioregions: s SCoRO, w WTR.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.