Smoothleaf yerba santa is a 1-1/2' to 6' tall aromatic evergreen perennial shrub that grows from a ± woody base.  The leaves are alternate, from 2" to 6" long and 1/2" to 1-1/2" wide, linear lanceolate to narrowly oblong, entire-margined to slightly toothed, glabrous and shiny-glutinous above and finely tomentose below.  They look as though covered with a coating of clear varnish.  The flowers are in cymose clusters with linear to lanceolate, mostly densely hirsute and ciliate calyx lobes, and white to pale purplish or lavender funnelform corollas with rounded lobes about 1/16" long.  The stamens are included and there are two styles divided to base.  The fruit is a densely hispid capsule with dark brown seeds.  This species of Eriodictyon is found growing on dry rocky slopes, mesas and ravines below 8000' from chaparral to yellow pine forest and in pinyon-juniper and joshua tree woodland, ranging from Ventura County south through the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mts.  It blooms from May to August. These pictures were taken in the floodplain of the San Gabriel River at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Eriodictyon 2) trichocalyx.
Pronunciation: er-ee-oh-DIK-tee-on try-ko-KAY-lix.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.