Iva hayesiana (San diego marsh elder)

San Diego marsh elder, poverty weed

A rare evergreen shrub that grows up to four feet tall and nine feet wide.  It has spikey green leaves with yellow fragrant flowers that bloom during the Spring.  It is fast spreading and great for hillside stabilization.  This plant is also believed to be fire resistant.  This plant produces a pollen that can produce an allergic reaction.

It is best to prune in January through February.  You can mow the the plant with a brush mower and then fertilize with a light nitrogen fertilizer. 

Plant with: 

Menzies' Goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii), Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica), Quailbush (Atriplex lentiformis ssp breweri), Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens), Western False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa), San Diego Sedge (Carex spissa), Great Valley Gumweed (Grindelia camporum), Narrow Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), Douglas' Sagewort (Artemisia douglasiana), Spiny Rush (Juncus acutus), San Diego Sagewort (Artemisia palmeri)

- Full Sun

- Best in sand, loam and clay soils

- Water once a week once established

- Deer resistant

- Native to California