Clinopodium douglasii

Clinopodium douglasii
Group of plants
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Clinopodium
Species:	C. douglasii
Binomial name
Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze
Synonyms
Micromeria douglasii Benth. Micromeria barbata Fisch. & C.A.Mey. Micromeria chamissonis (Benth.) Greene Satureja douglasii (Benth.) Briq. Thymus chamissonis Benth. Thymus douglasii Benth.

Clinopodium douglasii, synonym Micromeria douglasii, or yerba buena, is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to California. The plant takes the form of a sprawling, mat-forming perennial, and is especially abundant close to the coast. The name "yerba buena" derives from Spanish for "good herb" and is applied to various other plants. In 2010, molecular evidence placed the species within the Clinopodium complex rather than Micromeria. As of November 2024, Plants of the World Online continued to place the species in the genus Micromeria, though databases such as the Jepson Herbarium eFlora, iNaturalist, Calflora, and the USDA PLANTS Database place the species in Clinopodium.

The plant has a fragrance similar to spearmint. It was used by many groups of indigenous peoples of California as a beverage and a medicine, and was similarly used by later Spanish, Mexican, and American settlers. The Pomo people of Potter Valley northeast California infuse its leaves (called ma ca kau') for a kind of tea beverage.

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  Leaves and flowers
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  Flower close-up

Name

The plant's most common name, "yerba buena", the same in English and Spanish, is an alternate form of the Spanish hierba buena (meaning "good herb"). Yerba buena is also used as a common name for other plants with aromatic foliage and in particular, for various old world mints.

Association with San Francisco

The name yerba buena was bestowed by Catholic missionaries of Alta California after native people introduced them to it. It was so abundant there that its name was also applied to the settler's town adjacent to Mission San Francisco de Asís as well as to the cove along San Francisco Bay upon which it was situated. The prominent island directly in front of the settlement also came to be called Isla Yerba Buena (now Yerba Buena Island) at least as early as 1833, although it is not certain whether it was named for the settlement, the cove or directly for the herb. In 1846, the town of Yerba Buena was seized by the United States during the Mexican–American War. Its name was changed in 1847 to San Francisco. Nevertheless, many features in and near San Francisco, such as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Yerba Buena Gardens, take their name from the prior name for San Francisco.

External links

• Jepson Manual treatment Clinopodium douglasii (Benth.) Kuntze