Jaumea carnosa  (Less.) A. Gray Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Native Fleshy Jaumea

                                            June Photo              

Plant Characteristics:  Glabrous perennial with creeping branched rhizomes, and numerous mostly simple decumbent or ascending stems 1-3 dm. high; lvs. opposite, linear-oblanceolate, fleshy, 2-4 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide; heads mostly solitary; invol. 8-12 mm. high, the phyllaries rounded and often pinkish above; rays 6-10, inconspicuous, 3-toothed; aks. glabrous, epappose, ca. 3 mm. long

Habitat:  Coastal salt marshes and tidal flats; Coastal Strand, Coastal Salt Marsh; along the coast from n. L. Calif. to B.C.; Channel Ids.  May-Oct.

Name:   Honoring the French botanist I.H. Jaume St. Hilaire.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 196).  Latin, carnosus, fleshy.  (Jaeger 47).

General:  Very common in the study area.  Photographed on the North Star Flats, at 23rd Street and along the path from 23rd. St. to Mariner's Dr.  Jaumea is one of the native halophytes growing in Upper Newport Bay.   (my comments).     Jaumea invades clearings which result from drift deposits or experimental removal of previous marsh canopies.  While seedlings occur in well developed canopies such as at Tijuana Estuary, it is not known how often they grow to maturity.  (Zedler 26).       Zedler reports that 70% or more of the populations of this plant occur between 5.2 and 5.8 ft. above MLLW. (Zedler 17).      Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following comments about Jaumea carnosa in her autobiography:  "There are two kinds, one with smell is best; this one has no smell and is not as good and not used.  The other kind used to be in the marsh but I can't find it.  It was boiled as a tea for fever; it was also cooked and eaten as a vegetable".  (Shipek 92).      Two species in the genus.  (Hickman, Ed. 296).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 296; Munz, Calif. Flora 1133; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 196; Roberts 12.

Photo Ref:  May 5 83 # 7; April-May 84 # 15; June-July 93 # 8; June 06 #15A,16A.

Identity: by R. De Ruff.  

First Found:  May 1983.

Computer Ref: Plant Data 184.

No plant specimen.

Last edit 6/15/06.  

                                            May Photo                                                                                                    June Photo