Pinnacles National Park Chaparral Plants and Serpentine Specialists

An aromatic shrub with sticky, woolly leaves and clusters of small white to purple‑tinged flowers; historically used medicinally. At Pinnacles it often colonizes sunny disturbed sites and provides nectar for native bees and moths.

Sticky, often gray‑woolly leaves with a strong aromatic odor when crushed and small clustered tubular flowers—note sticky texture and leaf hairiness up close.

Common Confusions

• California Sagebrush Artemisia californica Sagebrush is gray‑green and finely divided, not sticky or woolly, and lacks yerba santa’s clusters of tubular flowers.
• Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia Toyon has smooth evergreen leaves and red berries in winter rather than the sticky, aromatic leaves and flowers of yerba santa.