Trichostema lanatum
| Trichostema lanatum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Trichostema |
| Species: | T. lanatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Trichostema lanatum | |
Trichostema lanatum, also known as woolly bluecurls,[2] 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
[edit]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.[3]
Spanish explorers in California called the plant romero, the Spanish term for rosemary, and that common name is still sometimes used in Mexico.[4]
Uses
[edit]Trichostema lanatum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and several cultivars have been developed.[4] It attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees.[5]
Native Americans used it for a variety of medicinal and other purposes.[6]
Its leaves and flowers make a flavorful tea.[4]
Indigenous medicinal use
[edit]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.[7] When tested against an E.Coli ▵tolC mutant, the plant exhibited anti-bacterial properties.[8][9] Studies have also shown anti-inflammatory properties against pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-ɑ and anti-bacterial properties against macrophages and gram-postivie bacteria.[10]
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 colds, body aches, skin disorders, digestive problems, and malaria.[11] The two species differ in smell, anatomy, and location found.[12][13] Indigenous tribes used T. lanatum to treat the same ailments as T. lanceolatum.[11] 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.[14]
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
[edit]- ↑ "Trichostema lanatum". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ↑ NRCS. "Trichostema lanatum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ↑ "Calflora: Trichostema lanatum". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
- 1 2 3 Rogers, D. (2001). Romero or Woolly Blue Curls. Double Cone Quarterly.
- ↑ Santa Monica Mountains Plant of the Month Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Native American Ethnobotany Database Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
- ↑ Adams, James D.; Garcia, Cecilia (March 2006). "Women's Health Among the Chumash". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 3 (1): 125–131. doi:10.1093/ecam/nek021. ISSN 1741-427X. PMC 1375244. PMID 16550233.
- ↑ Allison, Brittany J.; Allenby, Mark C.; Bryant, Shane S.; Min, Jae Eun; Hieromnimon, Mark; Joyner, P. Matthew (2017-03-19). "Antibacterial activity of fractions from three Chumash medicinal plant extracts and in vitro inhibition of the enzyme enoyl reductase by the flavonoid jaceosidin". Natural Product Research. 31 (6): 707–712. doi:10.1080/14786419.2016.1217201. ISSN 1478-6419. PMID 27482826. S2CID 45752002.
- ↑ Fleming, Matthew (2014-03-21). "Extracts of Trichostema lanatum inhibit the growth of gram-positive bacteria and an Escherichia coli ΔtolC mutant strain". Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.
- ↑ Fleming, Matthew C.; Hester, Victoria; Allison, Brittany J.; Foster, Majie C.; Nofziger, Donna; Joyner, P. Matthew (2018-03-21). "Immunomodulatory and Antibacterial Properties of the Chumash Medicinal Plant Trichostema lanatum". Medicines. 5 (2): 25. doi:10.3390/medicines5020025. ISSN 2305-6320. PMC 6023444. PMID 29561753.
- 1 2 "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ↑ "Plant of the Month Page". Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ↑ "bluecurls (Genus Trichostema)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ↑ Koithan, Mary; Farrell, Cynthia (2010-06-01). "Indigenous Native American Healing Traditions". The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 6 (6): 477–478. doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2010.03.016. ISSN 1555-4155. PMC 2913884. PMID 20689671.
External links
[edit]
- NatureServe apparently secure species
- 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