Looking for a plant ID

hlee

hlee

Joined
Dec 5, 2005
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I was deer hunting in the Sacramento valley (archery in the A units) over the weekend when I ran in to the most unusual plant. I'm sorry but I don't have a picture of the plant. It is a rather short plant (maybe up to 1 ft in height, but most were only a few inches tall), with a single central stem. It hasn't rained in the area for months, but these plants are still quite green. In fact, the plant has a deep green color and was the only green observed in the areas where it was found (grasses in the area have long since turned to tinder). The leaves are slender and pointed, and run the length of the stem. I don't remember them being serrated, but they may be serrated. I realize this is a paltry description from which to make an identification, but the plant does have one defining characteristic. Even before seeing one of these plants, you will know that you are in the area of them based on their smell. They smell strongly of what I though was best described as Hoppe's #9, but the guy I was hunting with though was more aptly labeled Vick's vapo-rub. It is difficult to impress how strong this plants smell is. I picked one and held it up to my nose (before we had made an ID on the smell's origination) and one whiff-even form the distance of a few inches- brought tears to my eyes and stung my nose. The smell lingered on my hand through the rest of the day including a washing. The smell is on the bottoms of my boots, two days after the last contact with the plants. The shirt I was wearing picked up the smell of these plants, even though it did not come into direct contact with them. This is the best that I can do for a description. Anyone have any ideas? I was 11 miles southwest of Williams, CA. The elevation is between 300-700 ft above sea level.
 
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Unfortunately, this is not the plant in question. The plant in question did not have the hairs on the leaves and stem. Additionally, the leaves were very narrow, not the broad ovate leaves in the picture. I would also, not classify the plant in question as a succulent, as the leaves were not thick like the ones in the picture.

The leaves are spear shaped (but with a rather narrow base- sort of like a viking longship) with what I remember to be a smooth margin (but it could have been serrated). The plants were mostly just a few inches tall (maybe 5-6" for most), and all the leaves were directly attached to a central stem. These plants must be severely drought resistant, as they were the only green ground cover in view. While the ranch is a working cattle ranch with a huntable population of both deer and feral pigs (in addition to being absolutely over run by ground squirrels), none of these plants looked to have been disturbed by grazing or browsing.

Also, I cannot imagine keeping one of these plants in the house. The smell is strong at a distance, and up close it will take your breath away. To me the smell is more medicinal/chemical/solvent, but not really vapo-rub. I walked through some of these plants on Saturday (July 24) and the soles still smell (strongly) like the plant on July 27.

If I am in the area again I will remember to get a picture.

From what I have read, Epazote and tarweed or tarplant both fit the description as far as smell, but I cannot find good pictures of the plants for an ID.
 
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Sounds like beargrass (yucca), but I don't remember any smell like you described. Maybe 'cause there are so many here my 'smeller' is immune.
 
"[Beargrass] is truly, as Lewis put it, a "luxouriant" evergreen, often growing in large, dense patches among lodgepole pine, subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce trees at elevations above 5,000 feet." http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=1318

The elevation is wrong, as we were no higher than 900 ft above sea level. Also, the leaves of bear grass can be get to be as log as 35 cm and all emit from the base of the stalk. In the plant in question the leaves are longest at the base and get shorter toward the top of the plant- and the leaves are more or less evenly distributed from base to tip. However, the longest leaves are no longer than about 1.5-2" in length.

I appreciate all responses, as even the errant ones jog my memory for more details.
 
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Tarweed for the win.

"One could say that the predominant smell of California range land this time of year is that of tar weed..." http://dryadranch.blogspot.com/2008/08/tar-weed.html

That is one amazingly strong smell, and one that I will not soon forget. My boots have given it to my garage.

If you find some, give it a good whiff, but don't say I didn't warn you...
 
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