Heliotropium incanum

Native to Peru, this woody, branching heliotrope has a grayish appearance produced by dense hairs on its young stems and foliage. The oval, pointed leaves have rounded teeth along their margins and a strongly wrinkled upper surface; their undersides are paler and more densely hairy. Numerous short flowering spikes branch into terminal clusters. Small white flowers line one side of each spike in alternating rows. Botanical revision associates the species with Peru’s coastal range rather than the locality originally reported for it. Photographed in Peru.