Plant of the Month (June) : California everlasting – Pseudognaphalium californicum

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum) in Mother Nature's Garden of Health

Some plants remain where you plant them; others move around in the garden.  The movers are those plants – often annuals or perennials – that re-seed where ever conditions are suitable.  Rather than fighting it, we let the movers pop up (within reason) in different places each year, adding an element of spontaneity to the gardens.  One such plant is the California everlasting, Pseudognaphalium californicum (pronounced soo-doe-nah-FAY-lee-um  cal-ee-FOR-ni-cum).

The Everlastings are an interesting and useful group of plants in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae).  Also called Cudweeds, they are common plants of temperate regions. In the western U.S., they are often herbaceous plants with hairy foliage and rather plain flower heads.  The floral bracts remain on the plant after flowering, making these ‘everlasting flowers’ useful in dried flower arrangements.  Several Everlasting species are used in traditional medicine, most commonly for sciatica.

In California, the most common Everlastings are classified in three genera: Logfila (the Cottonrose genus), Gnaphalium (the Cudweed genus) and Pseudognaphalium (Cudweed or Rabbit-tobacco genus).  Gnaphalium palustre (Western marsh cudweed), a common annual of seasonally moist places, is the only California native in the genus Gnaphalium.  

Eleven California Everlastings are currently classed as Pseudognaphalium.  Of these, most are perennials – although many function more like biennials or even annuals. [1] Seven species, along with the non-native Jersey cudweed (Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum), are native to western Los Angeles County.   We featured the Feltleaf everlasting previously (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/09/plant-of-month-september-wrights.html).

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum) - Palos Verdes peninsula

 

California everlasting (formerly Gnaphalium californicum) is native from Washington/Oregon to Baja California, Mexico. It grows throughout the California Floristic Province, with the exception of the Great Central Valley.  It can still be seen in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the foothills of the San Gabriels, on Catalina Island and in undeveloped areas of the Baldwin Hills and Palos Verdes peninsula.    

California everlasting is also known as Ladies' tobacco, California rabbit tobacco, Green everlasting, California pearly everlasting and California cudweed. It’s a common herbaceous plant of seasonally dry, open places in forests, grasslands and shrub lands (chaparral, coastal sage scrub and mixed evergreen), often on slopes or in disturbed soils.   It is also used in local gardens for its unique appearance, fragrance and other qualities.

 

California everlasting
Pseudognaphalium californicum

 

Whether Pseudognaphalium californicum is an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial depends partly on circumstances.  In favorable situations in the wild, it likely is a short-lived perennial.  In most gardens, it will behave as either an annual or biennial.  The plants begin growth with the winter/spring rains, first forming a luxuriant mound of soft, bright-green foliage.

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum)
spring foliage

 

The plant itself is rather stout and upright, growing 2-4 ft. (0.5 to 1.25 m) tall and up to 2 ft. wide.  The larger leaves, which can be 4-6 inches long (to 15 cm), are clustered in a basal rosette in older plants.  The leaves are linear to lanceolate, with somewhat wavy margins; they may be sparsely hairy. 

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum): foliage

 

The most striking foliage characteristic is the glands, which are found on both upper and lower surfaces of the leaves.  You’ll know from the leaves that this is California everlasting; it’s the only locally native everlasting with sticky, aromatic leaves. Chemicals produced by the glands are responsible for the characteristic aroma – like maple syrup with hints of lemon and camphor.   On a warm day, the scent makes you long for pancakes – kids love it!    In fact, the scent is one of many reasons to include this plant in your garden.

  

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum):
 flowering plant in Madrona Marsh Nature Center
 native plant garden

 

With the warming spring weather, plants develop one or more erect, leafy flowering stalks.  These are many-branched at their ends, producing an inflorescence (cluster of flowers) that is wide and flat, mostly at the top of the plant.  The terminal branches have fewer leaves, so the flowering heads appear to float above the foliage.  Plants may begin flowering as early as February in lowland S. California; as late as July further north and at higher elevations.   In Mother Nature’s Backyard, Pseudognaphalium californicum usually blooms from April to June. 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum):
 flower heads

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum):
 close-up of flower heads

 

The flowers themselves are typical of the native Everlastings.  The flowering heads have no showy ray flowers (the ‘petals’ of a typical sunflower head) and the yellow disk flowers are only slightly visible.  The overall shape of the flowering head is like a turban or bulb; rounded and wider at the base, more pointed at the tip (see above).  The flowering heads are covered by thin, scale-like, white involucral bracts (flower leaves), giving them an overall white color.  In this species, the bracts are blunt tipped (see close-up picture, above). 

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum):
 going to seed

Like most Sunflowers, California everlasting is insect pollinated.  The seeds are tiny, with bristles that aid in wind distribution (or occasional hitchhiking in animal fur).  In our experience, new seedlings establish readily in suitable places.  This is a pioneer species (an early colonizer of bare or disturbed sites).  As such, it tends to establish on bare ground, in places with adequate winter moisture and light.  

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum):
 seedlings

 

The seedlings are easy to distinguish from other plants (above) and young plants are easily removed where necessary.   This is not an aggressive invader in our experience; new plants pretty much replace the old ones each year.

California everlasting is not fussy about soil type, doing well in sandy, rocky or clay soils.  It probably does best in full sun, but also grows in part-shade (it tends to be a bit leggy and has fewer blooms).  Pseudognaphalium californicum tolerates coastal conditions, salty and alkali soils, poor drainage and deer.  It is not eaten by rabbits and does well on slopes or flats.   All it really needs is adequate soil moisture from winter until it begins to flower. 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum)
 in garden at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden,
 Claremont CA

 

There are many good reasons to include Pseudognaphalium californicum in your garden.  It functions as a useful filler plant between shrubs and grasses in new and mature gardens.  The white ‘flowers’ usefully tie together disparate colors in a garden bed.   And, of course, the wonderful scent makes it a natural for the scented garden.  A plant next to a sunny garden seat is heavenly on a warm spring day!

Like many of the native Pseudognaphalium species, California everlasting is a larval food source for the American Painted Lady butterfly, Vanessa virginiensis.   If you like the Painted Ladies, you should consider planting some native Everlastings (like Pseudognaphalium californicum).

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum)
Garden of Dreams Discovery Garden,
 CSU Dominguez Hills, Carson CA

 

Of course another reason to plant California everlasting is to have a ready source of dried flowers for bouquets and crafts.  Simply clip off the flowering stems before most of the flowers open, bundle the stems, then hang them upside-down to dry in a dry place.  The ‘flowers’ will last for a year – until the next season provides a new crop.  They provide useful filler in bouquets and floral arrangements; but they also make an airy arrangement all by themselves.

A final reason to plant Pseudognaphalium californicum is for its medicinal uses.  Tinctures of several Everlasting species, including P. californicum, have been dissolved in water and ingested in the treatment of lower back pain and sciatica. A tea made from dried stems and leaves is a traditional remedy for colds, coughs and stomach ailments.  This treatment may work by strengthening the immune system, so it’s important to use a mild dose (perhaps 5-10 leaves per pint of hot water).  After steeping, the leaves are removed and the refrigerated tea is drunk once a day over 3-4 days. [2]   This tea was also used as an eyewash.

 

California everlasting (Pseudognaphalium californicum)
Mother Nature's Garden of Health, Gardena Willows
 Wetland Preserve, Gardena CA

 

A pillow stuffed with dried flowers and foliage is reported to help some sufferers of asthma and chronic cough. This is an unusual delivery mode for a medication, but may be worth a try.   A poultice of the leaves is a traditional treatment for cuts and skin sores; it reportedly numbs the pain and aids in healing.   Finally, Chumash healer Cecelia Garcia has shared explicit instructions on the use of Pseudognaphalium californicum as a weight loss aid.  Read reference 3, below, for more on this application.

In summary, California everlasting is an interesting native plant with many attributes to recommend it.  It can be grown in a variety of soils, even along the coast.  Its aroma is unique among the local natives and it provides needed habitat for American Lady butterflies.  It can also be a source of craft materials and medicinals.  It’s an easy plant to grow - if you can provide bare soil and don’t mind it moving around in your garden.  We love this plant and think you will too.

 

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-pseudognaphalium-californicum

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/pseudognaphalium-californicum-web-show

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

 

______________________

1. Calflora - http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Pseudognaphalium
2. http://www.livingwild.org/summer-blog-posts/pearly-everlasting/
3. http://www.abeduspress.com/files/Chumash_treatments_to_aid_weight_loss.pdf

  

 

 

 

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

Plant of the Month (November) : Big (Bracted) Gumplant – Grindelia camporum

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum)

 

What an unusual year!   Hot and dry – rains in summer; it’s no wonder plants are blooming at unexpected times.  Among the species that keep on flowering are the fall-blooming sunflowers. For example, the Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum) in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health has bloomed off and on from June to now.

Big (Bracted) gumplant has many common names, among them California gum plant, Giant gum plant, Field gumweed, Bracted gumweed, Grindelia, Hardy grindelia, Rosin weed and Scaly grindelia.   To add to the confusion, the local variant (formerly known as var. bracteosa) is also known by several previous scientific names: Grindelia robusta var. bracteosa and Grindelia robusta var. robusta.  At any rate, we’ll leave it at ‘Big gumplant’, since that name describes it so well.

There is even debate about whether Grindelia camporum deserves its own taxon. Some advocate lumping it with several other California gumplants into the broader Grindelia hirsutula  Hook. & Arn.   The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) lumps; the USDA Plants Database, Jepson Manual and Calflora still accord it species status.  For this posting, we’ll side with the splitters.  We’ve grown both Grindelia camporum and G. hirsutula in the garden.  And while they have their similarities, the two (at least those available in the local horticultural trade) look and behave somewhat differently in the garden.

Big gum plant is native to North, Central and Southern California as well as Baja California, Mexico.  In Southern California it grows along the coast, in the Coastal and Transverse Ranges, and in the Peninsular Ranges of California and Baja California.  Locally, it grows in the Santa Monica Mountains and once did in the seasonal wetlands near Long Beach, the Dominguez Hills and the Palos Verdes Peninsula (including the San Pedro/Los Angeles Harbor area).

Big gum plant grows most often in seasonally moist areas: along roadsides, in arroyos and washes, along seasonal streams/wetlands and other places that get a little extra winter water.  It’s a member of several lower elevation plant communities, including the chaparral and coastal sage scrub, occurring at elevations from near sea level to about 4000 feet (1200 m.).  The local soils are primarily alluvial – either sandy or clay – and may be saline and alkaline along the coast. 

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum): a robust
 perennial/sub-shrub

 

Grindelia camporum is a drought-deciduous, herbaceous perennial or part-woody sub-shrub.  It quickly grows to 2-4 feet (about 1 m.) tall and about as wide. It spreads via both rhizomes and seed, and will fill in bare patches in the garden.   It has stout, erect stems that become woody at the base with age.

The entire plant has a robust appearance; if you need a more delicate appearing gumplant, try Grindelia hirsutula.  Young stems are quite erect, but they tend to lean as the season progresses.  The stems are thick – almost succulent – and are smooth and somewhat sticky with resinous secretions.

 

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum) - foliage

 

The leaves are medium green, alternate and clasp the stem.  They are thick, leathery and quite sticky. Foliage and flowers all have a strong, distinctive, resin-like aroma.  You’ll get to know this fragrance well as you handle the plants.  We like the scent, but some probably don’t; smell the plant before purchasing it.   The basal leaves are largest (to 6 or 7 inches), oblong and usually sharply toothed.  Leaves become smaller – and more elongated – further up the stem. 

 

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum): mature and
 immature floral heads

 

Many gardeners love Big gumplant because of the flowers.  A member of the Sunflower family, Grindelia camporum produces flowers in typical ‘sunflower heads’.  The flower heads are of medium size (one to 1 ½ inches across), with about 25 bright yellow ray flowers (the ‘petals’) and numerous yellow disk flowers in the center.  The flowers are decorative as only sunflowers can be.

 

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum): white 'gum' covers
 immature flowers

 

Several floral characteristics differentiate the Grindelias from other sunflowers.  First, they produce a gummy white substance that likely protects immature flowers from disease/predation. You can see the gum in the picture above; it disappears as the flowers mature.   This ‘gum’ was reportedly chewed by children as a gum substitute in previous eras.  We’ve tried it and concluded it was probably chewed for pleasure only by pretty desperate kids!  It was chewed as a medicinal gum (more on that below).



Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum): note distinctive phyllaries

 

The second unusual feature of Gumplant flowers are the green bracts surrounding the flower head – the phyllaries.  These are particularly showy in the Gumplants, and can sometimes be used to distinguish between gumplant species.  The phyllaries of Big gumplant are flattened at the base, but cylindrical and hooked at the tip (see photo above).  The phyllaries bend out in this species, forming a distinctive ‘cup’ below the flower head. 

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum) spreads via rhizomes.
 Here it's re-sprouting after pruning

 

Big gumplant begins blooming in late spring (May) and can continue well into the fall (October or even November this year).  In drier local gardens – and in the wild – this species often loses its leaves and even dies back entirely in summer.  If rains occur in summer or early fall, the plants may green up and bloom again in fall.  That’s what they did in our garden this year.

The gumplants, like sunflowers in general, are insect pollinated.  They attract a wide range of pollinating insects including native bees, European honeybees, pollinator flies/wasps and butterflies.   In general, gumplants are good all-round insect plants; many gardeners use them for just that reason.   The seeds are small and distributed by wind – if not eaten by hungry birds.  The plants may move around the garden via new seedlings planted by Mother Nature.

 

Metallic Green Been on Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum)



 In our gardens, Big gumplant looks good for 4-5 years, then either dies out or is ready to be replaced.  Fortunately, it is easy to propagate from seed.  Collect fresh, dry seed in summer; plant in recycled nursery containers in late fall, and you’ll have replacement plants by next spring.  Remember to just barely cover the seeds with potting soil – they need light to germinate.

Seeds of Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum) can be collected
 when dry.

 

You can also easily propagate from stem cuttings in summer.  Just stick 12 inch, semi-woody cuttings into one-gallon pots (we stick up to 6 per pot; insert about 6 inches deep). Keep the soil moist, then wait for the cuttings to leaf out and produce roots.  Not all will take, but at least several should do well.

Grindelia camporum is a facultative wetland plant in California; it usually grows at wetland margins or other seasonally moist areas.  So, this plant needs good winter/spring rains to establish and succeed.  If Mother Nature doesn’t provide, you’ll have to do the honors.  Once established, Big gumplant plant is quite drought tolerant.  If you don’t mind the summer die-back, water only occasionally (or not at all).  You can get by with watering it once or twice a month in very well-drained soils.  In clays, summer water appears to decrease the plant’s life-span.

Big gumplant tolerates a wide range of soil textures.  We’ve grown it at both extremes; the only difference is the need to limit summer water in the clays.  Plants even tolerate the salty, alkali soils sometimes found right along the coast.  They like full sun and will become leggy otherwise. 

And they look better if cut back to about 12-15 inches when they go dormant.  Some cut them back in summer (they do look a little ratty); others wait to prune in fall.  Those in moister, colder climates (where gumplants are winter-dormant) may want to cut back in early spring.  That’s really all the management these plants need.

 

Two native Longhorned Bees on Big gumplant
 (Grindelia camporum)

 

Big gumplant is routinely planted in habitat gardens in western Los Angeles County. It provides nectar/pollen for insects and seeds for the birds.   It looks great with other local water-wise natives including the bunch grasses, sub-shrubs (particularly the native Buckwheats and Salvias) and larger chaparral shrubs.  Just remember, this is a large, robust-appearing plant - place accordingly.  The cheerful yellow flowers and fresh scent make it a nice addition to many gardens.  The flowers contrast beautifully with the spring penstemons and fall asters.  Some gardeners even grow Big gumplant in their herb or medicinal garden.

 



Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum): 'El Rincon' garden,
South Coast Botanic Garden

 

The Grindelias, and Grindelia camporum in particular, have a long history of use as medicinal plants.  In fact the genus name honors David Hieronymous Grindel (1776-1836), a German pharmacologist, physician and professor of botany at Riga, Estonia.  Native Californians traditionally used Big gumplant both externally (as a poultice or infusion) and internally (as an infusion - or gum chewed as a remedy for sore throat). 

A poultice made from fresh flowers and/or foliage or an infusion of the dried plant is applied to skin rashes, minor burns, eczema, dermatitis and other superficial skin conditions. This external use – along with appropriate antibiotic creams if needed – may provide relief by numbing the nerve ends. We’ll discuss how to make and use poultices later this month. 

Big gumplant has also been used as an infusion (tea) and tincture to treat conditions associated with excess respiratory mucous: bronchitis, coughs and bronchial asthma.  It was used as a homeopathic medicine in the U.S. and Europe until the 1960’s, when the U.S. FDA required such products be formally tested for safety and efficacy.

While Grindelia tinctures can still be purchased on-line, the needed clinical trials have yet to be conducted.  Several smaller studies suggest that this medicinal should be used with caution, and should not be used at all by patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding, or have kidney disease, hypertension or heart conditions.  Those aged 55 and older need be particularly careful, since kidney function decreases with age, and many of the active chemicals are excreted in the urine.

Grindelia camporum produces a wide range of plant chemicals including grindelane diterpenoids, balsamic resin, volatile oils, other terpenoids, saponins and many others.  The exact modes of action for most of these chemicals are currently unknown.  However, Grindelia camporum extracts appear to slow heart rate, decrease mucous production, and decrease inflammation both by blocking nerve endings and possibly acting as an antibiotic.  

Future research may support a role for this plant (or specific chemicals) in the treatment of asthma and other conditions.  But for now, if you choose to take this medicine internally, do so with proper caution.   Some combination of the chemicals is known to interact with common medications for hypertension (high blood pressure), with diuretics, and possibly with other medications.  You should never use this medicine without first consulting your doctor.   To read more about Big gumplant as a medicinal, see references 1-4, below.  For more on making tinctures see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/10/garden-of-health-making-tincture-for.html

In addition to its medicinal properties, Grindelia camporum produces other potentially useful chemicals.  The resin (diterpene resin acids) produced by the foliage glands has qualities similar to wood rosin, a product with many manufacturing uses (adhesives, rubber, coatings, textile sizing, dyes and more).  The Grindelic resins are currently being evaluated as cost-effective wood rosin substitutes.  And if you are a natural dyer, the flowers and foliage produce lovely, color-fast yellow and green dyes. For more on natural dyes see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/10/solar-dyeing-with-native-plant-trimmings.html

In summary, Big gumplant is a robust perennial sunflower with excellent habitat value.  It is easy to grow, requiring little care and not much water.  The flowers are lovely and attract a parade of interesting insects. The blooms are particularly attractive when contrasted with the purple flowers of the Salvias.  The plants have useful properties, including use as medicinals and dye plants.  We hope you’ll consider Big gumplant when you need a local sub-shrub.

Big gumplant (Grindelia camporum) in spring garden:
Madrona Marsh Nature Center, Torrance  CA

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-grindelia-camporum

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/grindelia-camporum-web-show

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

_______________________________________________

1. http://www.livingnaturally.com/ns/DisplayMonograph.asp?StoreID=E32FA6C399AB4C99897032581851D45D&DocID=bottomline-gumweed
2. http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/natural-health-articles/lung-problems/grindelia-camporum-relief-chest-infections-00646/
3. http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/grindelia-squarrosa.html
4. http://www.herbalremedies.com/grindelia-information.html

 

 

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com

 

 

 

Plant of the Month (August) : Telegraph plant – Heterotheca grandiflora

Telegraph plant (Heterotheca grandiflora) - tall upright plant in foreground

Early August and it’s full-on summer in the garden.  Most of our annual wildflowers are long gone.  But several local sunflowers add their cheery notes from now into fall.  One of these is the Telegraph plant, Heterotheca grandiflora.

Telegraph plant is an annual or short-lived perennial native to Southern California and Northern Mexico.   It’s part of many plant communities including Coastal Strand & Bluffs, Coastal Prairie, Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral and even Southern Oak Woodland.  Telegraph plant commonly grows on bare, sandy soils at elevations less than 3000 ft (1000 m).   It has been introduced to Utah, Nevada, Hawaii and even Australia (where it’s become an invasive weed). 

Also known as Sticky daisy and Telegraph weed, Heterotheca grandiflora is common in vacant lots, along roadways and on other bare ground throughout lowland Southern California.  The name ‘Telegraph Weed’ hints at this plant’s propensity to spread, which it certainly does (see below). 

Telegraph plant (Heterotheca grandiflora) - Madrona Marsh

Some native plant experts argue that ‘weed’ should not be used for plants native to an area.  The term ‘weed’ refers to a ‘plant in the wrong place’. And ‘weed’ has been used to denigrate significant native plants that have the misfortune to be deemed ‘not showy’.  We, ourselves, prefer ‘Telegraph plant’ to ‘Telegraph weed’; it is both more respectful and more contemporary. 

The origin of the ‘Telegraph’ is lost in history.  It may refer to the tall, straight stems (that resemble telegraph poles) or the spread of the plants (like a line of telegraph poles spreading across the landscape).  Others point to the strong, creosote-like scent – not unlike that of old-time telegraph poles.   All are feasible explanations for the unusual common name.

Older sources sometimes refer to Telegraph plant as Heterotheca floribunda.  In fact, the name ‘floribunda’ (abundant flowers) is arguably a better descriptor than ‘grandiflora’ (‘large-flowered’).  Many a student has scratched his/her head over this plant being called ‘large-flowered’!

Seven species of Heterotheca are native to California.  In addition to Telegraph plant, False goldenaster (Heterotheca sessiliflora), Camphor weed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) and Hairy false goldenaster  (Heterotheca villosa) are native to Los Angeles County (the latter three usually in the foothills of local mountain ranges).   The Heterothecas are members of the Sunflower family (Asteraceae).  They share several traits with other sunflowers, including composite flower heads, wind-distributed seeds, aromatic foliage, importance as pollinator habitat and medicinal value.

Telegraph plant can be an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial depending on local conditions.  It dies back to the ground in the fall after blooming.   In the garden, it’s often treated as an annual, with plants removed entirely each fall.

Heterotheca grandiflora - flowering plant

 

Heterotheca grandiflora - second year

 

Telegraph plant has a single stout, erect stem, 3-6 ft (0.5-1.5 m.) tall, with side branches primarily at the top (see above). In fact, it looks a bit top-heavy.  Older plants may have several, shorter stems and bloom earlier.  The leaves are medium to pale green, succulent, oval to lance-like, and may have coarse margin teeth.  The foliage is densely pubescent (see below) with thin, transparent hairs.  

Telegraph plants (Heterotheca grandiflora) - foliage

Heterotheca grandiflora - foliage (note resin glands on leaves)

You can also see the resin glands in the photograph (they look like small dots on the stem and leaves) These glands are actually specialized trichomes (hairs) that produce and release secretions.  Heterotheca grandiflora is one of our ‘stickiest’ natives, with a strong aroma all its own. The sticky aromatic chemicals – and the hairs - deter herbivory, protecting the young leaves and late blooms. Some of the chemicals likely function as growth inhibitors for other seedlings (allelopathic chemicals).  Wear gloves when handling Telegraph plant or your hands will retain the distinctive, camphor-like scent for hours!  Really!!

The photograph above shows another advantage to being hairy.  The dense hairs capture moisture from fog or drizzle, providing natural ‘drip irrigation’ to the plant. It’s an ingenious adaptation found in California natives from regions with periodic fog.   In some years, the water captured from fog is the difference between life and death for such plants.

Heterotheca grandiflora - flower heads

The flowers of Heterotheca grandiflora are clustered in yellow sunflower ‘heads’ at the top of the plant.  Both the ray flowers (the flat, strap-like flowers) and the inner disk flowers are bright yellow-gold.  Each head has 25-40 slender ray flowers and 30-75 small disk flowers in the center.   The flower color contrasts beautifully with the foliage. 

 

Heterotheca grandiflora - flower head - note resin glands

Telegraph plant can bloom nearly any month of the year in western Los Angeles County.  But the main flowering season is late spring through fall.   Flowers open over a long time – as much as 4 weeks – providing bright color and nectar.  The plants are visited by a wide range of pollinators including native bees, flower flies, butterflies and flower moths.  In fact, Heterotheca grandiflora is a recommended pollinator plant for Southern California gardens.  Finches also love the seeds.

Telegraph plant is easy to grow (unless your entire garden is covered in thick mulch).  Like many wildflowers, Heterotheca grandiflora likes full sun to part-shade. It needs adequate soil moisture until it begins to flower; but in most years can get by on seasonal rains. It forms an impressive root for a short-lived plant.  We’ve grown it in sandy & clay soils with equal success. Like many local wildflowers, Telegraph plant is truly undemanding.

Heterotheca grandiflora - seeds are adapted for wind distribution

Collect dry seeds in summer/fall and save until the winter rains.  Or allow plants to re-seed naturally; once established, Telegraph plant will re-seed year after year.  The seedlings are pale green and fuzzy – easy to distinguish from other seedlings in the spring.  Simply pull up small, unwanted seedlings when the ground is moist.   You can also start seedlings in paper cups and transplant out in spring.  The seeds are small, so barely cover with soil.

Heterotheca grandiflora - seedlings

We simply let Telegraph plant naturalize in Mother Nature’s Backyard.  It provides summer and fall color, and its tall, distinctive stems provide vertical interest.  If used in a mixed flower bed, plant mid- to back-bed, depending on the height of other plants.  Because it’s a late-bloomer, we find Telegraph plant indispensible for pollinator, butterfly and bird habitat gardens.  It is well-matched to the needs of our local wildlife.   Gardens featuring local native plants should also consider this common wildflower.

Heterotheca grandiflora (Telegraph plant) - in foreground
Garden of Dreams - CSU Dominguez Hills

Telegraph plant also has medicinal properties - not surprising for a plant with such a strong aroma.  Heterotheca grandiflora produces chemicals (sesquiterpenes and others) that have both antibacterial and antifungal properties.  A decoction or tincture of the foliage makes a useful cleansing wash for cuts, scrapes and minor skin wounds.  Related California Heterothecas produce anti-inflammatory chemicals.  This likely explains the use of a salve or tincture of Telegraph plant as a topical lotion on sprains, arthritic joints and other joint problems associated with swelling, inflammation and associated pain.  We've made and used a Telegraph plant tincture as a topical treatment for joint pains.  It is quick-acting, long-lasting and amazingly effective!

In summary, Telegraph plant is a local native wildflower that’s not used enough in local gardens.  Its summer/fall blooms, habitat value and medicinal properties make it both interesting and useful.  The foliage can be used to make gold and yellow natural dyes.  And little finches eating the seeds are a sight to behold.  We hope you’ll collect some seeds this summer and scatter them in your garden.

Telegraph plant (Heterotheca grandiflora)
Home garden, Redondo Beach CA

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-heterotheca-grandiflora 

For more pictures of this plant see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/heterotheca-grandiflora-web-show

 

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

 

 

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