Carried by 8 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Eriodictyon crassifolium, or thick-leaved Yerba Santa, is a shrub in the Borage family (formerly in the Hydropyllaceae or Waterleaf family). It is endemic to California, where it grows in several types of habitats in the coastal and inland hills and mountains below 6,000 ft., mainly in the southern part of the state. It is a hairy to woolly shrub growing one to three meters tall. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long by 6 wide, gray-green with a coat of woolly hairs, and sometimes toothed along the edges. The lavender, bell shaped flowers consisting of 5 fused petals are held in a cluster at the top of the upright stems. There are two recognized varieties; var. crassifolium and var. nigrescens, but they are quite similar in appearance. A closely related species is E. trichocalyx which is lower growing, has less hairy leaves and a more hairy calyx. All local members of this genus are fire followers.
Shrub
3 - 10 ft Tall
3 - 6 ft Wide
Rounded, Upright Columnar
Fast, Moderate
Evergreen, Summer Semi-deciduous
Pleasant
Lavender, Brown
Spring
Hedge
Full Sun
Low, Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Easy
Fast, Medium
Frequently in eroded sandstone or granitic soils.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
For propagating by seed: Oven heat of 194°F for 5 mins. (Went et al. 1952).
Slopes, washes, canyons, mesas, and bluffs as a component of shrub lands from the coast to the foothills between Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties. At higher elevations inland, also found with Pinyon-Juniper woodland
Chaparral, Lowland Chaparral, Pine-Juniper Woodland
Scrub Oaks, Manzanitas, Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis ssp. pilularis), Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina), Chaparral Mallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus), Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), and Lemonade Berry
Butterflies and moths supported
2 confirmed and 3 likely
Thorne's Hairstreak
Callophrys loki
Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Archips argyrospila
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana