Eriodictyon (californicum)

Lee Riley Horticulturist USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center 34963 Shoreview Road Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424 541-915-7324 541-767-5709 (fax) lee.riley@usda.gov

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Family Scientific Name:	Hydrophyllaceae
Family Common Name:	Waterleaf
Scientific Name:	Eriodictyon californicum
Common Name:	California yerba santa
Species Code:	ERCA6
Ecotype:	Jackson County, Oregon
General Distribution:	Yerba Santa occurs from the Coast Ranges in California from Monterey County to the Klamath range in Siskiyou County as well as in the Sierra Nevada Range from Kern County in California to the Oregon counties of Klamath and Jackson in the north (Howard 1992). Yerba Santa grows below 1600-m elevation on dry rocky hillsides and ridges.
Propagation Goal:	Plants
Propagation Method:	Seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	444 ml (27 in3) container
Time To Grow:	20 weeks
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Gather seeds in September and October as the fruit capsules ripen. Yerba Santa seeds can be planted in the fall or early spring. The seeds will store indefinitely if kept in a dry, cool location.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	No stratification is necessary. However, scarification of the seed coat in order to allow moisture and air to enter will increase germination. Due to small seed size, the easiest method is to sow seed into trays filled with stabilized medium plugs (Q-plugs) and pour water heated to 85 °C over the plugs multiple times. Trays are then moved directly into the greenhouse.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse growing facility. Q-plugs are lightly covered with nursery grit. Seedlings are transplanted to target containers when primary leaves have formed (approximately 3 weeks following removal from stratification). Growing medium used is 40:20:20:20 peat:composted fir bark:perlite:pumice with Apex controlled release fertilizer (16N:5P2O5:10K2O with minors; 6 to 7 month release rate at 21C) at the rate of 2 gram Apex per 444 ml container. Seedlings remain in the greenhouse for 18 weeks, and are then moved to an outdoor growing area to induce dormancy. Average growing season of nursery is from mid-March until early October.
Establishment Phase:	Germination is fairly uniform and is usually complete in 2-3 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings grow rapidly throughout the active growth phase. Following germination, plants are fertilized with soluble 12-2-14-6Ca-3Mg at 100 ppm for 2 weeks. During the growing season, fertilization depends on weather. Soluble 20-9-20 NPK, 20-18-18 NPK, or 17-5-24 NPK at a range of 100 to 150 ppm is applied weekly throughout the growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	10 to 12 weeks
Hardening Phase:	No dry-down is done to induce dormancy. Seedlings are moved to an outdoor growing area in early-September.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 to 3 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Mid-October Storage Conditions: Seedlings are usually outplanted in fall to early winter. No storage except in outdoor growing area. Plants are well irrigated prior to shipping and shipped in containers.
Other Comments:	The plants are sunloving and do not tolerate shade. Plants may be grown in any texture of soil but prefer it to be slightly acidic and moderately fertile. The shallow roots allow them to establish in thin as well as deep soils. The plants are tolerant of serpentine soils.
References:	USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center. 2006. California yerba santa Eriodictyon califonicum (Hook. & Arn.) Torr. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_erca6.pdf (accessed 6 Oct 2018). Dorena Genetic Resource Center Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Riley, Lee E.; Klocke, Allison. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Eriodictyon californicum Plants 444 ml (27 in3) container; USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center Cottage Grove, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.