Yerba Mansa

Almost missed another one!

This herb was tucked in the grass at the Riparian Preserve where we frequently walk. It was new for me.

It is a perennial herb in the lizard tail family and is used as an antibacterial and antimicrobial. Similar to the sunflower family, what appears to be a single bloom is in reality a dense cluster of individually small flowers borne in an inflorescence. In this species the inflorescence is conical and has five to ten large white bracts beneath it, so that along with the tiny white florets. The conical structure develops into a single, tough fruit that can be carried by water usually to spread the tiny, pepper-like seeds.

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting." -Ralph Waldo Emerson