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Reveal, James L.
Chamaebatia foliolosa
Chamaebatia foliolosa Benth.
Mountain Misery
Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: CHFO
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
Low, spreading shrub with pungent, sticky, fernlike leaves, often forms dense carpets.
Mountain Misery got its name from what many forest visitors consider to be an unpleasant combination of sticky leaves and a medicinal aroma. The shrub forms dense carpets in ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer stands in the Sierra, often covering extensive areas. Hikers walking through such tracts soon discover that the plant’s black gum sticks to boots and clothing. The resin makes Mountain Misery highly flammable, and it is among the several Sierra shrubs that invade recently burned areas. California’s Miwok Indians, who called the plant Kit-kit-dizze, drank a tea steeped from the leaves as a cure for a number of ailments.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Subshrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Fruit Type: Achene
Size Notes: Up to about 28 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: WhiteBloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug
Distribution
USA: CANative Distribution: West slope of Sierra Nevada, California; a related form occurs in extreme S. California and N. Baja California.
Native Habitat: Dry, open conifer forests.
Web Reference
Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) CalfloraWebref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Chamaebatia foliolosa in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Chamaebatia foliolosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chamaebatia foliolosa
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-05-09Research By: TWC Staff