Yerba buena

Name Variations

 * wild spearmint
 * hierba buena

About Yerba buena
Wikipedia Article About Yerba buena on Wikipedia

Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii) is a sprawling aromatic herb of the western and northwestern United States, western Canada and Alaska. Another local name for this plant is Oregon tea, referring to its use as both a medicinal and refreshing tea. Its name, an alternate form of hierba buena, which means "good herb" was given it by the Spanish priests of California.

What is now San Francisco, California was originally named Yerba Buena by its Spanish settlers in the 18th century because of the abundance of the herb in the area. When the town was captured by the Americans in 1846 during the Mexican-American war, it was re-named San Francisco.

The name remains for an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay that is connected to Treasure Island and serves as an anchor for the Bay Bridge.