Trichostema lanatum

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
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Trichostema
Species:
T. lanatum
Binomial name
Trichostema lanatum

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. Flowers are present from March to June.[2]

Spanish explorers in California called the plant romero, the Spanish term for rosemary, and that common name is still sometimes used.[3]

Uses

Trichostema lanatum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and several cultivars have been developed.[3] It attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees.[4]

It is aromatic and glandular. Native Americans used it for a variety of medicinal and other purposes.[5]

It makes a flavorful tea.[3]

References
  1. "Trichostema lanatum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. "Calflora: Trichostema lanatum". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  3. Rogers, D. (2001). Romero or Woolly Blue Curls. Double Cone Quarterly.
  4. Santa Monica Mountains Plant of the Month Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Ethnobotany


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