About Eriastrum densifolium (Benth.) H.Mason
Eriastrum densifolium is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family, commonly called giant woollystar. This wildflower is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in open areas such as sand dunes and dry washes. It produces an erect stem covered in foliage that ranges from slightly hairy to densely woolly, which often gives the plant a dark gray-green color. Its leaves are narrow and spike-shaped, with pointed lobes. The top of each stem holds a clustered inflorescence packed with woolly, leaflike bracts and funnel-shaped, flat-faced flowers. Individual flowers measure 1 to 3 centimeters long, and their open faces can be 3 to 4 centimeters wide. The flower lobes range from white to bright, striking blue, and sometimes have longitudinal pinstripes. Its stamens protrude out from the flower throat. There are two recognized subspecies of this plant. The rarer subspecies, ssp. sanctorum (Santa Ana River woollystar), is endemic to the Santa Ana River drainage in San Bernardino County, California. It was federally listed as an endangered species in 1987. This subspecies grows in higher floodplain habitats; scientists expected it to be negatively impacted by the construction of Seven Oaks Dam, which would alter the hydrology of the Santa Ana River waterways the plant depends on.
