Trichostema lanatum
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Trichostema lanatum, also known as woolly bluecurls,[1] is a small evergreen shrub or sub-shrub native to arid coastal chaparral regions of California down to the northern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
Description
Trichostema lanatum is many-branched and grows to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, with narrow, pointed green leaves. The smooth-petaled blue flowers are borne in dense clusters, with the stem and calyces covered in woolly hairs of blue, pink, or white. Flowers are present from March to June.[2]
Spanish explorers in California called the plant romero, the Spanish term for rosemary, and that common name is still sometimes used in Mexico.[3]
Uses
Trichostema lanatum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and several cultivars have been developed.[3] It attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees.[4]
Native Americans used it for a variety of medicinal and other purposes.[5]
Its leaves and flowers make a flavorful tea.[3]
Indigenous medicinal use
Trichostema lanatum was incorporated by the Chumash to help facilitate the healing process of menstruation and birth, as well as a general disinfectant and treatment for rheumatism.[6] When tested against an E.Coli ▵tolC mutant, the plant exhibited anti-bacterial properties.[7][8] Studies have also shown anti-inflammatory properties against pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-ɑ and anti-bacterial properties against macrophages and gram-postivie bacteria.[9]
This species and Trichostema lanceolatum, a related species, were both also used by other California Indigenous tribes in the form of tea or crushed leaves to treat a range of ailments including common olds, body aches, skin disorders, digestive problems, and malaria.[10] The two species differ in smell, anatomy, and location found.[11][12] Indigenous tribes used T. lanatum to treat the same ailments as T. lanceolatum.[10] Woolly bluecurls and other native plants have historically been used by Indigenous peoples in a holistic approach to medical care, which typically considers patient health and well-being at the intersection of biology, psychology, and culture, and manipulating the biochemical properties of native plants to treat the ailment.[13]
Future studies of woolly bluecurls and other plants used by Indigenous peoples for medicinal purposes will need to focus on the use of such plants in a broader cultural system of care. Such work can be challenging, given the historical, systematic erasure of Indigenous wisdom that has been a primary function of settler colonialism.
References
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- ↑ a b c Rogers, D. (2001). Romero or Woolly Blue Curls. Double Cone Quarterly.
- ↑ Santa Monica Mountains Plant of the Month Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Ethnobotany
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External links
- Pages with script errors
- Trichostema
- Flora of California
- Flora of Baja California
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
- Bird food plants
- Garden plants of North America
- Drought-tolerant plants
- Flora without expected TNC conservation status