Eriodictyon crassifolium

Eriodictyon crassifolium
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: (unplaced)
Family: Boraginaceae
Subfamily: Hydrophylloideae
Genus: Eriodictyon
Species: E. crassifolium
Binomial name
Eriodictyon crassifolium
Benth.

Eriodictyon crassifolium, or thickleaf yerba santa, is a shrub in the borage family.

Description

Eriodictyon crassifolium 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 inflorescence is a cluster of bell-shaped lavender flowers.

Distribution

It is endemic to California, where it grows in several types of habitat, including chaparral, in the coastal and inland hills and mountains, mainly in the Southern California part of the state.

Use in traditional medicine

It was traditionally used by the Chumash people to keep airways open for proper breathing. [1]

References

  1. James D. Adams Jr, Cecilia Garcia (2005). "Palliative Care Among Chumash People". eCAM. 2 (2): 143–147. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh090. PMC 1142202Freely accessible. PMID 15937554.

See also

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