VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Domestic goats occasionally consume yerba santa leaves and twigs.
Otherwise, livestock do not use it [10,18].  In winter and spring,
plants are lightly browsed by black-tailed deer, contributing to about 6
percent of their total diet [3].  During winters when more desirable
forage is scarce, yerba santa may become a critical element in the diet
of deer [6].  In addition, deer consumption increases during the first
two growing seasons following a fire.  In Madera County, California,
deer consumed 78 percent of new seedlings and sprouts of the first
postfire growing season.  At postfire year 2, consumption was down to 30
percent [27].  No information concerning seed consuption is available.
Full seed capsules may be eaten by birds and rodents.  The seeds alone
are probably too small [0.04 to 0.06 inch (1.0-1.5 mm)] to be eaten by
most animals, although insects probably consume them.


PALATABILITY : 
Yerba santa leaves contain aromatic compounds that give them an
unpleasant odor and bitter taste [9,27].  Consequently, it is not
preferred browse.  The browse rating of yerba santa for livestock and
wildlife species is as follows [27]:

                       cattle    -  poor
                       sheep     -  poor
                       horses    -  poor 
                       goats     -  poor
                       mule deer -  fair to poor 


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Yerba santa is nutritious in spring.  In one study, the dry-weight
protein content of twigs and leaves varied from 5.4 percent in July to
17.0 percent in April [4].  In a separate study on mineral nutrition,
yerba santa proved to be a better source of calcium and sulfur than any
of 11 other chaparral browse species tested.  The mineral content of
yerba santa browse is as follows [28]:

                   Mean Percent Mineral Composition

                       phosphorus       0.11
                       sulfur           0.22
                       calcium          1.15
                       magnesium        0.55
                       potassium        0.83


COVER VALUE : 
Mature yerba santa shrubs are often spindly, with leaves at the tips of
the branches and bare limbs below. Their cover value is poor.  Younger
shrubs provide cover for various birds and small mammals.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Yerba santa can be utilized in rangeland rehabilitation because the
plant establishes well in disturbed soil.  Yerba santa sprouts
adventitiously when roots are exposed following mechanical site
preparation [33].  In addition, seeds will germinate in disturbed areas.
If yerba santa is to be used for rehabilitation, it is necessary to
avoid excessively overturning the soil and damaging existing rhizomes,
or burying seed too deeply for germination.


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Yerba santa leaf extract was used by Native Americans and early settlers
as a remedy for cough, colds, grippe, and asthma [25,27].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Range:  Yerba santa can become dominant on heavily used rangelands,
particularly in areas that have been converted from brushland to
grassland.  Livestock consume other plants before they browse yerba
santa [27].  With reduced competition, yerba santa eventually forms
dense pure stands [6,11,19].

Control:  The best method of control is to move livestock off the range
before desirable browse becomes overgrazed.  Chemical control is
possible but may be difficult.  Some yerba santa populations are
beginning to show resistance to phenoxy compounds such as 2,4-D.  These
chemicals can still be effective in some areas, however.  Basal
applications of karbutilate are also effective.  Precautions for its use
in pastures and rangelands have been detailed [7].  Karbutilate requires
several months to break down.  If treated in the summer or early fall,
the rangeland could be seeded with desirable grass and/or herbaceous
species in the early spring.  Chemical control, along with reseeding,
would probably be an effective eradication strategy.

Related categories for Species: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa