Fendlerella utahensis
Yerba desierto, Yerba Desierto
Family: Hydrangeaceae · Type: shrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Yerba desierto is a native shrub found in the Inyo Mountains and desert mountain ranges of California in limestone soils, cliffs, rock crevices, and pinyon-juniper woodlands at elevations of 1,300 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces delicate white to pale petals 3 to 4 millimeters long in small clusters. Growing with compact stems that reach up to one meter tall, it forms a dense and intricate shrub with woody base. Its leaves are small and narrow, measuring 8 to 16 millimeters long and 3 to 6 millimeters wide, with an ovate to elliptic shape and entire margins that are slightly rolled under. The plant produces fruits approximately 4 millimeters long with tiny seeds around 2 millimeters in size.
Habitat: Limestone soils, cliffs, rock crevices, slopes, pinyon/juniper woodland
Bloom period: May-Aug
Elevation: 1300-2800 m
Bioregions: W&I (Inyo Mtns), DMtns
California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.