
Woodbalm
Lepechinia calycina
NATIVE – CA ENDEMIC
Description (Jepson, PlantID.net)
- Eudicotyledon
- Eudicots are a major lineage of flowering plants; see family for general characteristics
- Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
- Evergreen shrub
- Stems square in cross-section
- The sides bulge a bit, making this trait of the Mint family harder to discern
- Bark, stems, and leaves with long hairs
- Leaves
- Opposite (2 leaves at each junction with stem) and simple (not divided into leaflets)
- Lance-shaped to oval, with toothed margins and a rough upper surface
- Hairy and sticky
- Strongly aromatic
- Flowers
- Inflorescence (flower arrangement) an open raceme (unbranched stem with stalked flowers opening from the bottom up)
- Large, bilaterally-symmetrical, open trumpets
- 5-fused petals, white to light lavender, rolled back at the tips
- Bottom petal longer and larger than the 4 smaller, upper fused petals
- Sepals (usually green, outer flower parts) 5-lobed, fused, and inflated
- Ovary superior (above the attachment of other flower parts)
- Fruit a set of 4 single-seeded nutlets (small dry fruits that do not split open, derived from a multi-chambered ovary)
- Height to 7 ft.

Distribution
- Native and endemic (limited) to California
- Grows in chaparral and foothill woodlands
- See Calflora for statewide observations of this plant
- Grows at elevations between 490 and 2,900 ft.
Uses (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)
- Attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
- Used by Native people for headaches and fever; leaves steeped as a tea for urinary infections
- Plants in the genus Lepechinia are known for their antioxident properties and are commonly used in folk medicine across South America and Central America (Parejo 2004)
Name Derivation
- Lepechinia (leh-pe-CHIN-e-a) – named after Ivan Ivanovich Lepechin (1737-1802), a Russian botanist, physician, and explorer; director of the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden
- calycina (ca-le-SIN-a) – from the Greek kalyx, “cup or covering,” referring to the calyx, (collective term for sepals), which is prominent and persistent in this species
- Pitcher sage – from the inflated pitcher-like shape of the fused, persistent sepals; or from the pitcher-like shape of the flowers, with the longer bottom petal creating a spout
- This name is also used for a number of species in the Salvia genus of the Mint family
Notes
- The sepal cup (calyx) persists long after the flower drops and turns from green to reddish purple, enclosing the fruit; by winter, the plant appears to be decorated with brown lanterns
- Aromatic leaves deter browsing
- Recovers quickly after fire or disturbance
At Edgewood
- Found in chaparral and open woodlands
- See iNaturalist for observations of this plant
- Flowers April – July
Specific References
Parejo, I., et al. 2004. Investigation of Lepechinia graveolens for its antioxidant activity and phenolic composition. J Ethnopharmacology 94: 175-184.
Wilson, B. 2012. Lepechinia calycina, California Pitcher Plant. Las Pilitas Native Plant Nursery.