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Presidio of San FranciscoCoastal bluffs by Baker Beach
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Presidio of San Francisco
Lizard Tail
(Eriophyllum staechadifolium)
 
Lizard Tail
Will Elder, NPS
Lizard Tail adds late season color to the dunes at Crissy Field.
 

Origin Of Genus Name: Eriophyllum is Greek for "woolly leaves."

Presidio Locations: Found in coastal scrub and bluff scrub.

Range In State: Throughout coastal California.

Description: Lizard tail, or Woolly Sunflower, has clusters of daisy-like yellow flowers. It is a mounding, coastal shrub that is highly drought, salt, and wind-tolerant. Fine white hairs appear on the stems, leaves, and bracts around the flower heads. A small dry fruit develops below the pappus, containing a single seed that is dispersed by wind or animals. Blooms May to November.

Native Californian Uses: Coast Miwok used the dried and ground seeds to make pinole, a ground meal. The Maidu and Miwok have placed Lizard Tail leaves on the body to relieve aches and pains.

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Jonathan Letterman  

Did You Know?
Major Jonathan Letterman--after whom the hospital at the Presidio was renamed in 1911--was the medical director of the Army of the Potomac. A founding father of military medicine, Letterman organized forward first-aid stations, mobile field hospitals, and ambulance services during the Civil War.

Last Updated: January 18, 2008 at 17:31 EST