| Baja California yerba santa | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Namaceae |
| Genus: | Eriodictyon |
| Species: | E. sessilifolium |
| Binomial name | |
| Eriodictyon sessilifolium Greene, 1885 | |
Eriodictyon sessilifolium, known by the common names Baja California yerba santa, sessile-leaved yerba santa or sessileleaf yerba santa is a perennial shrub in the family Namaceae family, near-endemic to Baja California but also rarely found in the southern California, in a locality near Poway.
This species grows in a perennial shrub habit. The stem is 1 to 3 m. Leaves are sessile, with the blade 6 to 12 cm, 2 to 5 cm wide, shaped oblanceolate to oblong, coarse-toothed. The upper surface of the leaves are sparse to coarse-hairy, while the bottom face is sparsely to moderately coarse-hairy on the veins, stalked-glandular on all veins, with short hairs between veins. The margin is slightly rolled under between the teeth. The peduncle and pedicel are hirsute. The flower is mostly coarse-hairy throughout, including on the filaments and ovaries. The calyx lobes of the flower are 5 mm, while the corolla is 12 to 15 mm long, funnel shaped, and colored lilac purple. The fruits are 5 mm large, and also coarse-hairy. The chromosome count is n=14. Flowering is from April to June. [1]
This plant is mostly found in Baja California, from Ensenada south to San Quintin. An occurrence was found in 2015 near Poway, California, growing on Santiago Peak metavolcanics. [2]
The plant grows on slopes, ridges, and ravines, along with disturbed areas, grassland, and chaparral. It is found from an elevation of 25 to 880 meters. [1]