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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) - Mother Nature's Garden of Health |
Many garden plants are surprising us
these days, despite the drought and blustery winds. Even some of the ‘gamble’ plants – species we
planted despite their questionable suitability – are doing remarkably well. One such plant is the Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum, pronounced tri-KOS-te-ma la-NAY-tum),
which is looking lovely in Mother Nature’s Garden of Health.
Wooly bluecurls belongs to the Mint
family (Lamiaceae), along with the
sages (Salvia species), the
Pitchersages (Lepechinia species),
the Woodmints (Stachys species) and
other mints (Mentha; Monardella; Clinopodium/Satureja).
Most Trichostemas are aromatic and
have distinctive blue or purple flowers. Trichostema
is limited to N. America; and of the 18
species, 11 occur in California, most of them annual wildflowers.
Several Trichostemas grow in Los Angeles County. The annual Trichostema lanceolatum (Vinegar weed)
has been recorded from the Santa Monica Mountains, Catalina Island and the
Palos Verdes peninsula. Trichostema
austromontanum (also an annual) grows in the San Gabriel Mountains. The perennial (sub-shrub) Parish's bluecurls
(Trichostema parishii), similar in
appearance to Wooly bluecurls, can still be seen in the San Gabriels.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) in natural setting. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont CA. |
Wooly bluecurls ranges from the Santa
Lucia and Gabilan ranges of Monterey and San Benito Counties, to northern Baja
California, Mexico, in the south. In Los
Angeles County, it grows on Santa Catalina Island and in the Santa Monica and
San Gabriel mountain ranges. It was
formerly common on dry slopes below about 3000-4500' in coastal scrub and
chaparral communities. Some very good Trichostema habitat has been lost to
human expansion. There is evidence that
this species once grew at lower elevations – places now covered by cities and
suburbs.
The first recorded (written) sighting
of Trichostema lanatum was by the
Spanish explorer Fray Juan Crespi, in 1769. [1] The type specimen was collected
by David Douglas, a noted plant collector in the western U.S. And the species was named and described in
1835 by George Bentham (1800-1884), eminent English taxonomist and long-time
president of the Linnaean Society of London. [2] Trichostema lanatum was introduced into the horticultural trade by
Theodore Payne.
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| Young Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) |
Wooly bluecurls is an evergreen,
perennial sub-shrub, growing 3-5 ft. (1-1.5 m.) tall and 4-6 ft. wide. The plants resemble the Mediterranean herb
Rosemary. In fact, the common names for Trichostema lanatum include Romero
(Spanish name for Rosemary), California rosemary and American wild rosemary.
When young (above), plants have
several, fairly upright stems, and an overall vase-like form. The younger
branches are a dark purple-red, providing a lovely contrast with the foliage. As a plant matures, it adds upright stems and
becomes more branched; mature plants look more like mature native Salvias, with
a mounded form. As plants age, the
woody, older parts of the branches lose their foliage, exposing the flaky,
gray-brown bark of mature stems.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) - maturing plant |
To our eyes, Wooly bluecurls is a
lovely plant at all ages. Unfortunately,
it often grows quickly for about 3-5 years, then expires in local gardens. We’ll discuss the reasons why – and things
you can do to insure a healthy life – below.
But know that a mature Trichostema
is a welcome sight – a rustic old-timer that adds character and a
Mediterranean flair to any garden.
The new spring foliage is bright
green; it darkens to a medium to dark green by summer. The leaves are narrow – even linear – 1 ½ to
3 inches (3.5 to 7.5 cm.) long and about ¼ inch
wide. Leaves are shiny above and
hairy-white below; and the leaf margins curl under. This becomes more pronounced in summer/fall –
an adaptation to the dry season.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): spring foliage |
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): close-up of spring foliage |
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): summer |
The most notable aspect of the foliage is its
aroma. It is truly a fragrance of Old
California; a bit of pine, a hint of lavender, a fresh sweet scent that is
unique to Wooly bluecurls. Like many other aromatic plants, Trichostema lanatum has a long history
of culinary and medicinal use.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): mature plant in bloom |
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): flowering stalk |
The flowers of this plant are nothing short of
spectacular! They grow along spike-like inflorescences at
the end of branches and in axils along the stems. The flowering stalks provide striking
vertical interest in a late spring garden.
Mature plants can produce 50 or more purple spikes, beginning in
April-May in the lowlands – into summer at higher elevations. The flowers are long-lived and make
wonderful cut flowers. The spikes and
flowers are covered with short, wooly hairs – hence the common name Wooly
bluecurls. The flowering stalks are soft
to the touch, an aspect that enchants children of all ages.
The flowers themselves are marvels of Mother
Nature’s engineering. The petals are
usually a bright royal blue, but range from white or pink to dark purple. Some cultivars (see below) have unique floral
colors. As seen in the photo below, the
entire flower is covered in short hairs, which may be white, pink or purple.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum): close-up of flowers |
The
calyx (fused sepals) of a typical flower is magenta, which contrasts nicely with
the blue-purple of the petals. Like many
hummingbird flowers – and the mints in general - the petals are fused to form a
slender tube. Nectar at the bottom of the tube is accessible only to
long-tongued pollinators like hummingbirds, large bees and the long-tongued
larger butterflies.
The
five petals are modified into two lips, the upper being deeply lobed (see
photo). The sexual parts are exserted
(extend out beyond the floral tube) in dramatic fashion, making the flowers
quite showy and distinctive. This is yet
another adaptation to hummingbird pollination: the pollen adheres to the heads
and backs of nectaring hummingbirds. Pollen is transferred from flower to
flower as a by-product of hummingbird feeding.
The
seeds (four wrinkled nutlets per flower) are contained in a dry capsule. Trichostema
lanatum is ‘fire-follower’;
seeds require stimulus from chemicals in the smoke of burning Coastal Sage Scrub
or Chaparral to germinate. If you want to grow it from seed, you’ll need to smoke-treat
the seeds. Some propagators spread twigs
of chaparral shrubs over prepared seed flats, burn the twigs, then water and
plant the seeds. An easier method is to
purchase smoke-infused filter paper (sometimes called ‘liquid smoke’) which is
available on-line; the filter paper is soaked in water, which is then used to
soak the seeds prior to planting.
You
can also try using commercial ‘liquid smoke’ or ‘hickory seasoning’ (the stuff
used to give meats a hickory-smoked flavor), which is available in grocery
stores. Look for a simple, natural
concoction that lists only smoke and water as ingredients. Hudson Seeds recommends ‘Wrights’ brand; they
dilute the liquid as a 1:9 dilution (1 part ‘liquid smoke’: 9 parts
water). Seeds can then be soaked in the
liquid overnight or the solution used to water the seeds in (right after
planting). [4]
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) in garden. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont CA |
In
most gardens, Wooly bluecurls does best in full sun. If you have a hot, inland location, you might
have more success with light shade. Plants
like a well-drained soil with a low nutrient content. So don’t amend your soil with compost before
planting – and resist the urge to fertilize this plant. This is an easy species to kill with
kindness!
The
other tricky management aspect involves water – or the lack thereof. Trichostema
lanatum takes about 2 years to establish (at least in our garden). It needs occasional summer water during those
first few years. Thereafter it really
needs to be summer dry. Plant it with
other plants that need little/no summer water: Toyon, Fremontia, the local bush
Salvias (Black, Purple and White Sage), California sagebrush, California
buckwheat and the penstemons. Standing water, particularly in the warm
season (late spring through fall), will kill this plant. Even a very wet winter can do it in!
If you have clay soil, try placing Wooly bluecurls atop
a low berm to improve drainage. You might also place it in an area that naturally
dries out quickly; perhaps along a pathway, next to a large rock or in an area
with excellent air circulation. Then
resist the urge to water in summer. Don’t
worry: this is a born survivor that can take a long dry period, as long as it
gets adequate winter water. Wooly
bluecurls needs at least 15 inches of water per year, so supplement winter/spring
rains in a droughty winter.
Also refrain from piling organic mulch in deep
layers around Trichostema lanatum. A gravel mulch, no mulch at all (except
that produced by the plants), or a thin (1 inch) organic mulch are what’s
needed. Another good idea is to tip
prune plants after blooming and seed set (late summer). This will produce a bushier plant, and is particularly
important during the first few years. Be
sure to tip-prune only – leave at least 6 inches of foliage per branch and
never cut back into old, bare wood.
That’s really about all the management that’s
needed. Placement and watering are the
keys. Other than that, Wooly bluecurls
thrives on neglect. That being said,
this plant is a natural choice for difficult-to-water areas like
hillsides. It does well in an herb
garden with Mediterranean herbs. You can
use the dried flowers and foliage to make a tasty tea. They would also make a nice addition to
home-made soaps and lotions.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) in garden. Madrona Marsh native plant garden, Torrance CA. |
Of course Trichostema
lanatum is lovely planted with its natural associates like the native
Salvias, wildflowers, cool-season grasses and bulbs. Place in front of a backdrop of evergreen
native shrubs to showcase the flowers and foliage. Flowering plants are truly spectacular when
massed. Be sure to cut a few flowering
stalks to use in May bouquets. The edible flowers can also be used as a
garnish on cakes, desserts, etc.
You may be able to find several cultivars at local
native plant nurseries and on-line. ‘Cuesta
Ridge’ has pink-purple flowers, is a bit smaller and tolerates occasional
summer water. ‘Susanna Bixby Bryant’ Trichostema lanatum, which has white
flowers, is sometimes available from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s Grow
Native Nursery.
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| Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) against darker foliage. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont CA. |
You might also want to include Wooly bluecurls in a
medicinal plants garden. The blooming
stalks are collected, bundled and hung upside-down to dry. The dried flowers and leaves are stripped off
and used to make a tea for stomach upset and menstrual cramps. A tincture made from fresh flowers/leaves can
be used as a linament for bruises (for more on making tinctures see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/10/garden-of-health-making-tincture-for.html). We've tried this tincture on some nasty bruises; it really does numb the pain and reduce swelling and bruising. In
the past, flowers and leaves were fried in oil to make a salve for pain. Powdered dried leaves were also inhaled as a
snuff in treating coughs.
Limited modern scientific studies suggest that Trichostema lanatum does indeed have
anti-inflammatory effects, at least in the test-tube. There is current interest in determining the relevant
plant chemicals, and testing these for their medicinal properties. This is yet another example of an old
medicinal attracting current interest.
We may someday take cold preparations inspired by wooly bluecurls.
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| Enchanting Wooly bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) |
In summary, Wooly bluecurls is a remarkably
attractive evergreen native shrub. Its
flowers and foliage are striking, and the flowers attract some of our favorite
pollinators. In addition, the plant has
both culinary and medicinal uses. While Trichostema lanatum can be challenging –
and short-lived – it is well worth including in your water-wise garden. This is truly an enchanting plant. Once seen you’ll be hooked - believe us on
that!
For a
gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/gardening-sheet-trichostema-lanatum
For plant
information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
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We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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