Plant Highlights

Yerba Buena is a lovely, small scale ground cover with slender, trailing stems. Its heart-shaped pale green leaves are highly aromatic with a fresh minty fragrance. The small white flowers that appear in late spring and early summer are secondary to the plant's aroma. This plant is prized for the tea made from its leaves. Native Californians use this tea to reduce fever, minimize cold symptoms, settle the stomach and aid insomnia. Yerba Buena is found in the coastal woodlands and the coast ranges from Los Angeles up to British Columbia where it thrives with some shade and moisture. In the garden use as a ground cover in a shady area and along edges where it's fragrance can be appriciated. Place it in shady crevices in rock walls or steps or let it trail over the edges of pots and planters. San Francisco's original name was Yerba Buena (Spanish for "good herb") due to it's abundant growth in the area.