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| 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).
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| 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.
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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.
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| Heterotheca grandiflora - flowering plant |
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| 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.
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| Telegraph plants (Heterotheca grandiflora) - foliage |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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