Anemopsis spp.

Yerba Mansa

Saururaceae Southwestern North America

Attracts Pollinators Fragrant (moderate)Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 6–10

Overview

Anemopsis spp. is a genus in the family Saururaceae with a single species, A. californica, known as yerba mansa, native to wet, often alkaline ground in the south-western United States and northern Mexico. It is a low, mat-forming perennial that spreads by red-tinged surface runners and rhizomes to form colonies, with flowering stems 8-24 in (20-60 cm) tall. The thick basal leaves are elliptic to oblong, 2-6 in (5-15 cm) long, on long stalks, and turn red as they age or with autumn cold. From spring into summer each stem bears what looks like a single white flower but is in fact a cone-shaped spike of many tiny flowers, ringed at the base by five to eight white petal-like bracts. The fragrant flower heads are followed by seed. Anemopsis spp. grows in seeps, marsh edges, and seasonally flooded flats, tolerating saline and alkaline soils that few plants accept. Aggressive runners let it spread widely, so it can overrun small or mixed plantings.

Native Range

Anemopsis spp. is native to the south-western United States, from California and Oregon east to Texas, and south into northern Mexico, where it grows in wetlands, springs, and alkaline or saline flats.

Suggested Uses

Anemopsis spp. is grown as a wetland and pond-margin groundcover, in rain gardens, and for stabilising damp, saline, or alkaline soils where other plants fail. The fragrant flower heads draw bees and other insects. The aromatic root and leaves have a long history of medicinal use among Indigenous peoples of the south-west.

How to Identify

Identify Anemopsis spp. by its spreading mat of thick, long-stalked elliptic leaves that flush red with age, and its cone-like flower heads that mimic a single white anemone, each cone of tiny flowers surrounded by white bracts. The plant has a peppery, medicinal scent when crushed. Red surface runners rooting at the nodes and a preference for wet alkaline ground distinguish it.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 2'

Width/Spread2' - 4'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering runs from spring into summer (roughly March-July in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on latitude and water), with the white-bracted cones held above the foliage for several weeks. A long flooding season can extend bloom. As autumn cools, the leaves redden and the top growth dies back in colder areas.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green turning red

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.5 - 8.5(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam sand

Drainagewet

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Anemopsis spp. grows in full sun to partial shade in wet to seasonally flooded soil and tolerates clay, alkaline, and saline ground that defeats many plants. It performs as a marginal or bog plant at pond edges, in rain gardens, and on damp flats, and accepts standing water in the growing season. Established colonies spread quickly by runners and can be hard to contain, so confined beds or pond margins suit it. Plants tolerate periodic drying once established but flower and spread most where moisture is steady. In cold-winter areas the top growth dies down and regrows from rhizomes in spring.

Pruning

No formal pruning is needed. Spent flower stems and frost-damaged foliage can be cut back at the end of the season. Lifting and removing spreading runners through the year keeps colonies within bounds.