The yearly spectacle of blooming Yerba Mansa along the Rio Grande is something I always look forward to It came along right on schedule this year at the beginning of June following some nice Spring rains.
Last year a little patch of Yerba Mansa I planted in our yard bloomed at the same time as those in the riverside forest. That planting is spreading and looks healthy, but this year there are no blooms, or even buds. I'm wondering now if the lack of blooms is related to the fact that the plant is genetically incapable of self pollination. Perhaps I just need to provide a companion that is not directly related to my planting
There is some doubt about the origin of the plant's common name. Yerba Mansa literally translated means Tame Herb, but what that might refer to is not obvious. An alternate name, Dragon Tail, would seem to be derived from the conical structure which bears the tiny flowers.
Yerba Mansa was used for medicinal purposes by all the indigenous people
in the plant's western habitats. It would be interesting to know what
names it was known by among those people.
