Scrophularia californica - California Figwort

Description

California Figwort is a larval food source of the Checkerspot butterfly. It is a herbaceous perennial which forms a widely branching and fast spreading rootstock. Found along roadsides, moist places, chaparral and coastal scrub, it can become invasive with summer water. The flower is brown-maroon with pale yellow-green. Use it for contrast in a mixed border and for the butterflies. Yuki and Wailaki Indians used the leaf ashes as a valuable source of salt.