''Chamaebatia foliolosa'' is a species of aromatic evergreen
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
in the
rose family known by the common names mountain misery and bearclover. It is
endemic to the mountains of
California, where it grows in
coniferous forests. The
Miwok tribe's name for the plant was kit-kit-dizze.
It was used as an herbal remedy for colds, coughs, rheumatism, chicken pox, measles, smallpox and other diseases.
Description
The stems are covered in dark brown bark. The foliage is made up of 3-pinnate leaves, meaning the frondlike leaves are made up of leaflets which in turn are made up of smaller leaflets which are also subdivided. The fernlike leaves are up to 10 centimeters long, frilly in appearance and dotted with sticky glands. The roselike flowers have rounded white petals and yellow centers ringed with many
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s. The species has been documented as carrying out
nitrogen fixation, unusual for a plant in its family. Black gum from the plant may stick to clothing, and it is highly flammable due to its resin.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto galleryNative American Ethnobotany database
Dryadoideae
Flora of California
{{Rosaceae-stub