Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Whipplea is a monotypic genus containing the single species Whipplea modesta, which is known by several common names including common whipplea, yerba de selva, and modesty. It is a dicot shrub or sub-shrub in the Hydrangeaceae family, native to the Pacific Coastal region of the United States. Whipplea appears to have been first recorded in 1853 by the Scottish botanical explorer John Jeffrey in the Umpqua Valley near Mount Shasta, California, and named for Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple (1817-1863), American surveyor and engineer.

Plant type

Shrub, Vine

Size

4 - 8 in Tall
2 ft Wide

Form

Spreading

Dormancy

Winter Semi-deciduous

Fragrance

None

Calscape icon
Color

White

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Groundcover, Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade, Full Sun

Water

Low, Moderate

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Adaptable.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Propagation

For propagating by seed: No treatment. May also propogate by layering or with rooted sections.

Sunset Zones

4*, 5*, 6*, 7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*

Site type

Streambanks, coastal scrub, chaparral, forest, open areas

Plant communities

Mixed Evergreen Forest, Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Other natives found on forest floors such as Cornus stolonifera, Heucheras, Satureja Douglasiana, Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana), or Mahonia pinnata