Trichostema lanatum

Trichostema lanatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Teucrioideae
Genus: Trichostema
Species: T. lanatum
Binomial name
Trichostema lanatum
Benth.

Trichostema lanatum, the woolly bluecurls,[1] is a small evergreen shrub or sub-shrub native to arid coastal chaparral regions of California and the northern parts of Baja California.

Trichostema lanatum is many-branched and grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, with narrow, pointed green leaves. The smooth-petaled blue flowers are borne in dense clusters, with the stem and calyces covered in woolly hairs of blue, pink, or white.

Spanish explorers in California called the plant romero, the Spanish term for rosemary, and that common name is still sometimes used.[2]

Uses

Trichostema lanatum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and several cultivars have been developed.[2] It attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees.[3]

It is aromatic and glandular. Native Americans used it for a variety of medicinal and other purposes.[4]

It makes a flavorful tea.[2]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trichostema lanatum.

References

  1. ↑ "Trichostema lanatum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Rogers, D. (2001). Romero or Woolly Blue Curls. Double Cone Quarterly.
  3. ↑ Santa Monica Mountains Plant of the Month
  4. ↑ Ethnobotany

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.