Animals and plants love to take advantage of the various springs and seeps of water throughout Red Rock Canyon. One flowering plant that certainly does that is yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica). In fact, you won’t see yerba mansa outside of wetter areas as it needs those moist soils to survive. This plant reaches just under two feet tall and has a flower cluster on the top with big white bracts and small greenish flowers. If you’ve walked the Red Spring boardwalk anytime in spring or summer, you’ve probably seen this plant in bloom. Yerba mansa is Spanish for “calming or gentle herb” and more than likely got its name from the medicinal properties of the plant. The roots were used in tea to help relieve colds, stomachaches, swelling, and venereal diseases.

Start typing and press Enter to search