Eriodictyon crassifolium

Eriodictyon crassifolium, or thick-leaved Yerba Santa, is a shrub in the Borage family (formerly in the Hydropyllaceae or Waterleaf family). It is endemic to California, where it grows in several types of habitats in the coastal and inland hills and mountains below 6,000 ft., mainly in the southern part of the state. It is a hairy to woolly shrub growing one to three meters tall. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long by 6 wide, gray-green with a coat of woolly hairs, and sometimes toothed along the edges. The lavender, bell shaped flowers consisting of 5 fused petals are held in a cluster at the top of the upright stems. There are two recognized varieties; var. crassifolium and var. nigrescens, but they are quite similar in appearance. A closely related species is E. trichocalyx which is lower growing, has less hairy leaves and a more hairy calyx. All local members of this genus are fire followers.