Southern Mountain Misery grows in southern California and Mexico. The foliage has resinous dots that smell a bit like witch hazel. Mountain Misery (C. foliosa) grows in the Sierra Nevada, and apparently has a less pleasant smell. I guess the resins on the plants got on people's clothes and made them miserable and that is where the name came from.
It has ferny foliage and pretty flowers from November to May. With that long winter bloom season, I wonder why I have never seen it in a private garden. Maybe that is because it is picky about soil and therefore hard to grow. If you want to see it, it is blooming now, at the Botanic Garden in Tilden.
I think the name 'Mountain Misery' is just a joke. I personally love the smell. Reminds me of happy times at Berkeley Tuolumne camp!
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