Clinopodium douglasii

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Clinopodium douglasii
Yerba Buena - Clinopodium douglasii.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Clinopodium
Species:
C. douglasii
Binomial name
Clinopodium douglasii
(Benth.) Kuntze (1891)
Synonyms [1]
  • Thymus douglasiiBenth.(basionym)
  • Thymus chamissonisBenth.
  • Micromeria douglasiiBenth.
  • Micromeria barbata Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  • Micromeria chamissonis(Benth.) Greene
  • Satureja douglasii(Benth.) Briq.
  • "Satureja chamissonis"(Benth.) Epling & Játiva [2] (nom. inval.)
  • "Hesperothymus douglasii"(Benth) A. Doroszenko [3] (nom. inval.)

Clinopodium douglasii, (synonym Micromeria douglasii), [1] yerba buena, [4] or Oregon tea [5] is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from British Columbia southwards to Southern California. [6] The plant takes the form of a sprawling, mat-forming perennial. [7] The name "yerba buena" derives from Spanish for "good herb" and is applied to various other plants.

Contents

Description

Leaves and flowers of Clinopodium douglasii. YERBA BUENA (satureja douglasii) (6-19-08) canet (2593333894).jpg
Leaves and flowers of Clinopodium douglasii.

Clinopodium douglasii is a decumbent perennial herb. Leaves are in an opposite arrangement along the stem, and each leaf is subtended by a petiole, is relatively small in size, and ovate to almost triangular in shape, with the leaf margin being shallowly toothed. Flowers occur at the leaf axils, and are solitary (occasionally a cluster of 2-3 flowers) on a short pedicel. The flower consists of a tubular calyx that subtends a lobed, bilaterally symmetrical, labiate corolla typical of the mint family, white to lavender in color, and typically 3-8 millimeters in length. The inner flower, found under the upper "lip" of the corolla, consists of 2 fused styles with a 2-lobed stigma and 4 exserted stamens arranged in 2 pairs. The fruit is a tiny nutlet with a smooth surface. [4] The leaves and other parts of the plant are strongly aromatic and have a minty odor. [7]

History

Clinopodium douglasii was widely used by the indigenous peoples of California and the Pacific Northwest Coast, generally in the form of a tea, both as a medicine and as a beverage. Ethnobotanical records of use of the plant are recorded among many indigenous peoples ranging from the Saanich of British Columbia to the Kumeyaay of southern California. [8] [9] [10] Later Spanish- and English-speaking settlers learned of the uses of this plant from native peoples and incorporated it into their own folk medicine traditions. [11] [12] Spanish missionaries gave the name yerba buena or hierba buena (good herb) to the plant, [11] [13] a Spanish common name for spearmint and other edible mints.

The herb has had a long association with the history of San Francisco. In 1776, Pedro Font, the Franciscan chaplain of the de Anza Expedition, noted the abundance of hierba buena around the expedition's encampment at Mountain Lake, near to the Presidio of San Francisco, for which the expedition was tasked with finding a site. [13] In the Spanish and Mexican eras of San Francisco, the undeveloped northwestern corner of San Francisco, where the plant was abundant, was given the name El Paraje de Yerba Buena (Place of the Yerba Buena). The area included Yerba Buena Cove, a favored anchorage, and the name was later extended to the Isla de la Yerba Buena (Yerba Buena Island), which faced the cove. In 1835, the civilian pueblo of Yerba Buena was founded on the shores of the cove, which would later grow into the American city of San Francisco. [14] [15] "Yerba Buena" is still used for many place names in the San Francisco area.

In 1816, the Rurik expedition visited San Francisco and its chief botanist, Adelbert von Chamisso, made the first scientific collections of this species. [16] These botanical specimens were eventually sent to George Bentham, a botanist specializing in the mint family, who published the species name in 1831, initially recognizing the samples as belonging to two related but different species, Thymus Chamissonis (named for von Chamisso) and Thymus Douglasii (named in honor of David Douglas). [16] [17] In 1834, Bentham transferred the species to Micromeria and merged the two species under the name Micromeria Douglassii. [18] [Note 1]

Taxonomic status

In 2010, molecular evidence placed the species within the Clinopodium complex rather than Micromeria . [19] As of November 2024, Plants of the World Online continued to place the species in the genus Micromeria, [1] though databases such as the Jepson Herbarium eFlora, [4] iNaturalist, [20] Calflora, [21] and the USDA PLANTS Database [6] place the species in Clinopodium.

Uses

The Pomo people of Potter Valley northeast California infuse its leaves (called ma ca kau') for a kind of tea beverage. [22]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Species epithets within binomial names are always lowercased according to the modern rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, even when the species epithet is derived from a normally capitalized proper noun like the name of a person or geographic location. However, the practices of biological nomenclature that were in effect in 19th Century routinely capitalized species epithets named for persons. The usage and spellings here reflects Bentham's original designations for historical purposes rather than representing a valid name under current nomenclatural rules.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes sage and mint

The Lamiaceae or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees, or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as Salvia hispanica (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as Plectranthus edulis, P. esculentus, P. rotundifolius, and Stachys affinis. Many are also grown ornamentally, notably coleus, Plectranthus, and many Salvia species and hybrids.

<i>Satureja</i> Genus of flowering plants

Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included in Satureja, but they have all been moved to other genera. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerba Buena Island</span> Neighborhood of San Francisco, California, US

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<i>Trichostema lanceolatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trichostema lanceolatum, with the common names vinegarweed and camphor weed, is an annual flowering herb of the mint family native to western North America.

<i>Clinopodium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Clinopodium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is in the tribe Mentheae of the subfamily Nepetoideae, but little else can be said with certainty about its phylogenetic position.

<i>Dipterostemon</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Hedeoma</i> Genus of flowering plants

Hedeoma is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to North and South America. They are commonly known as false pennyroyals.

<i>Eriodictyon</i> Genus of flowering plants

Eriodictyon is a genus of plants known by the common name yerba santa within the Hydrophylloideae subfamily of the borage family, Boraginaceae. They are distributed throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico.

<i>Anemopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants

The monotypic genus Anemopsis has only one species, Anemopsis californica, with the common names yerba mansa or lizard tail.

<i>Micromeria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Micromeria is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, with a center of diversity in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. It is sometimes placed within the genus Satureja. The name is derived from the Greek words μῑκρος (mīkros), meaning "small," and μερίς (meris), meaning "portion," referring to the leaves and flowers. Common names include savory and whitweed.

<i>Monardella villosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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Clinopodium chilense, synonyms including Satureja gilliesii, is a plant in the family Lamiaceae. C. chilense is endemic to central Chile. It is found in the La Campana National Park area, in association with the endangered Chilean wine palm, Jubaea chilensis.

<i>Clinopodium mimuloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Clinopodium mimuloides is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name monkeyflower savory. It is endemic to California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerba buena</span> Number of aromatic plants

Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. Yerba buena translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as yerba buena varies from region to region, depending on what grows wild in the surrounding landscape, or which species is customarily grown in local gardens. Perhaps the most common variation of this plant is spearmint. The term has been used to cover a number of aromatic true mints and mint relatives of the genera Clinopodium, Satureja or Micromeria. All plants so named are associated with medicinal properties, and some have culinary value as herbal teas or seasonings as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepetoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae

Nepetoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Lamiaceae.

The scientific name Satureja gilliesii has been used for two different species of plants:

<i>Clinopodium gilliesii</i> Species of plant

Clinopodium gilliesii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native from southern Peru through Bolivia to northern Chile and northern Argentina. It was first described by George Bentham in 1891 as Micromeria gilliesii.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Micromeria douglasii Benth." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  2. ↑ Epling, Carl; Játiva, Carlos (1966). "A descriptive key to the species of Satureja indigenous to North America". Brittonia. 18 (3): 244–248. doi:10.2307/2805363. JSTOR   2805363.
  3. ↑ Doroszenko, Anton Mykola (1986). "Taxonomic studies on the Satureja complex (Labiatae)" (PDF). University of Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 2023-06-24.
  4. 1 2 3 Wetherwax, Margriet & Miller, John M. (2012). Clinopodium douglasii , in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. (Accessed 13 November, 2024.)
  5. ↑ Oregon Flora: Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze
  6. 1 2 United States Department of Agriculture PLANTS Database, Plant Profile: Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze
  7. 1 2 Wood, Michael (2003-09-07). "Yerba Buena (Satureja douglasii)". California Native Plant Society, Yerba Buena Chapter. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  8. ↑ Turner, Nancy J; Bell, Marcus AM (1971). "The ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island". Economic Botany. 25 (1): 63–104 (p. 84). doi:10.1007/bf02894564. JSTOR   4253212.
  9. ↑ Hedges, Ken; Beresford, Christina (1986). Santa Ysabel Ethnobotany. Ethnic Technology Notes (20). San Diego Museum of Man. p. 41. ISBN   9780937808429.
  10. ↑ Moerman, Daniel E (1998). Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p. 520. ISBN   9780881924534.
  11. 1 2 Weigand, James (2002). "Case study: California". In Weigand, James; Jones, Eric T; McLain, Rebecca J (eds.). Nontimber Forest Products in the United States. University Press of Kansas. pp. 81–86. doi:10.2307/jj.7941367.13. ISBN   9780700632916. JSTOR   jj.7941367.13.
  12. ↑ Turner, Nancy J (2018). "Learning new medicines: Exchanging medicinal plant knowledge amongst Northwestern North American indigenous and settler communities". Medicina nei Secoli: Journal of History of Medicine and Medical Humanities. 30 (3): 949–976.
  13. 1 2 Font, Pedro (1776-03-27). "Diario: Dia 27. [de Marzo.] Miercoles". Web De Anza: Diario ampliado del Padre Pedro Font. Center for Advanced Technology in Education, University of Oregon. Retrieved 2024-11-18. [En está parage] y cerca la laguna hay hierba buena y muchos lirios, de modo que hasta dentro mi tienda los tenia.[Here and near the lake there are yerba buena and so many lilies that I had them almost inside my tent.] (Spanish original) (English translation)
  14. ↑ Eldredge, Zoeth Skinner (1916-03-16). "El Paraje de Yerba Buena". Municipal record. 9 (11). San Francisco, CA: 110–111.
  15. ↑ Browning, Peter (1998). San Francisco/Yerba Buena: From the Beginning to the Gold Rush 1769-1849. Great West Books. ISBN   9780944220085. p. 141.
  16. 1 2 Beidleman, Richard G (2006). California's Frontier Naturalists. University of California Press. p. 48-53. ISBN   9780520230101.
  17. ↑ Bentham, George (1831). "De plantis in expeditione speculatoria Romanzoffiana observatis. Labiatae". Linnaea. 6: 72–82. p. 72, 80.
  18. ↑ Bentham, George (1834). "XLVI.I.6. M. Douglassii". Labiatarum Genera et Species. Ridgway & Sons. p. 372.
  19. ↑ Bräuchler, Christian; Meimberg, Harald; Heubl, Günther (2010). "Molecular phylogeny of Menthinae (Lamiaceae, Nepetoideae, Mentheae): Taxonomy, biogeography and conflicts" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55 (2): 501–523. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.016.
  20. ↑ iNaturalist: Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii)
  21. ↑ Calflora: Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze
  22. ↑ Welch, James R (2013). Sprouting Valley: Historical Ethnobotany of the Northern Pomo from Potter Valley, California. Society of Ethnobiology. p. 63. ISBN   978-0-9887330-2-2.
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