Mojave Desert Plants: Shrubs
Yerba Mansa
Anemopsis californica (Nutt.) Hook. & Arn.Alternate name: bear root Yerba mansa is a fragrant perennial of wet ground in the Southwest. In the Mojave Desert, it is a plant of dependable water: spring margins, wet meadows, streamside ground, alkali flats, and palm oases. It can grow in alkaline or saline soils where many other plants cannot.
Description
Yerba mansa belongs to the lizard-tail family, Saururaceae. It grows from a thick, woody, aromatic underground stem and commonly spreads into colonies by creeping stems and runners. The broad, gray-green leaves are mostly basal and have a spicy or camphor-like odor when crushed. Its conspicuous "flower" is not a single flower. A short, cone-shaped spike holds many tiny, petal-less flowers and is surrounded by four to eight large white bracts, often flushed pink or red. The plant generally flowers from spring into summer, depending on water and elevation.Range and Habitat
The species is native to western and southwestern North America, from Oregon east to Kansas and Texas, and south into northwestern Mexico. In California it occurs in the Central Valley, San Francisco Bay region, southern coastal and Peninsular ranges, Channel Islands, and desert regions including the Mojave.It is a wetland plant, not a plant of dry open desert. Mojave occurrences are tied to springs, seeps, marshes, wet alkaline ground, and other places where moisture remains near the surface.
Traditional Uses
Many Native communities in California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest recorded uses of yerba mansa. Roots, leaves, and seeds were prepared in different ways by different peoples. Recorded uses include teas, decoctions, poultices, washes, food made from seeds, and treatments for colds, coughs, stomach complaints, sore feet, swellings, and skin wounds.Ethnographic records mention use by Kawaiisu, Tubatulabal, Yokuts, Cahuilla, Kamia, Paiute, Shoshone, Pima, and Ohlone peoples, among others. These records describe specific cultural knowledge and should not be treated as medical directions. Modern medical evidence does not establish yerba mansa as a safe or effective treatment for illness. Do not use it in place of professional medical care.
Historical accounts also report that Wukchumni Yokuts periodically burned yerba mansa areas to maintain their quality and abundance.
Growing Yerba Mansa
Yerba mansa can be an excellent native plant for a pond edge, seep, bioswale, rain garden, or other consistently moist place. Plant it in sun or light shade in moist soil. It spreads readily by underground stems and runners, so give it room or contain it where needed.Buy nursery-propagated plants rather than digging plants from wild wetlands. Wild populations may be small, isolated, or important to local habitat and cultural landscapes.
Sources
USDA NRCS, Yerba Mansa Plant GuideJepson eFlora, Anemopsis californica
California Native Plant Society vegetation description
NatureServe Explorer, Anemopsis californica
Yerba Mansa - Anemopsis californica