Family: Lamiaceae

Common name: Yerba buena

E-flora BC: https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Clinopodium%20douglasii

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinopodium_douglasii

Yerba buena means ‘good herb’ in Spanish, and this is certainly one of the most delightful plants you will encounter. We typically find this little trailing herb in light shade, often at the margin of a forest clearing or the edge of a trail. It’s not particularly rare, but it doesn’t stand out much, so we need to keep an eye out if we want to find it.

Yerba buena is a member of the mint family (Family Lamiaceae) – you probably know many of its relatives already, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender, basil, mint. Just like those relatives, yerba buena is highly fragrant. When you find it, make sure to take a leaf and rub it between your fingers to release its scent. To my nose, it smells like a pleasant mixture of mint and lavender. As you can imagine, the leaves of yerba buena have been used traditionally for medicine and pleasure, usually in the form of a tea. Do gather a little bit of the plant and steep it in hot water to enjoy a fragrant and uplifting beverage. We have quite a bit of yerba buena on the VIU Nanaimo campus. Look in the grassy area at the edge of the woods behind building 355, and the adjoining entrance to building 356.

Yerba buena trailing along the ground in the shade of a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). This photo was taken on the VIU Nanaimo campus, near building 356. As the stems trail along the ground, they often put out roots, anchoring the plant and forming a large mat.
Note the opposite leaf arrangement along the stem. On upright stems, it is clear that subsequent pairs of leaves are oriented at right angles relative to each other. This is true for leaves along a trailing stem too (see photo below), but there, the leaf stalks orient the leaf blades so that they’re all facing upward toward the sun, hence the right angle is only noticeable upon close inspection. Photo credit: Lynda Stevens
Note the opposite leaf arrangement – pairs of leaves at each node, along the stem. This is a characteristic of the mint family (Family Lamiaceae). Note the veined, slightly shiny surface of the leaf, and the wavy leaf edge. Photo credit: Lynda Stevens
A close-up photo showing the tiny flower of yerba buena. This specimen has pink flowers, others can have white flowers. Despite their small size, the flowers attract many pollinators. The shape of the flower is characteristic for members of the Lamiaceae family – the mints. If you do a Google image search for e.g. thyme or rosemary flowers, you’ll notice the similarity. Photo credit: Lynda Stevens