Our private name for it has been 'yerba purple', for its lavender blooms in the late spring and early summer. The bush occurs intermixed with other chaparral vegetation, and occasionally in pure stands such as this one. Its leaves are often sticky, or covered in a sooty fungus. The native Americans brewed a bitter tea from them, used for everything from tuberculosis to rheumatism to sore throat.
This cache also marks the permit-only Waterwheel Creek parking area at the end of Montebello Road. The entire length of Montebello Road is 'no parking'. People do it, but they are risking a ticket if the sheriff decides it's a good day to drive up here for a view. You can get a permit quickly and easily by calling the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District during weekday business hours at 650-691-1200. If you don't want to drive by their Mountain View office to pick it up, you will need a fax number to receive the permit. The permit includes the combination needed to open the locked gate.
You are looking for a decon container, hidden in a common fashion.