Whipplea is a monotypic genus containing the single species Whipplea modesta, which is known by several common names including common whipplea, yerba de selva, and modesty. It is a dicot shrub or sub-shrub in the Hydrangeaceae

Hydrangeaceae

Hydrangeaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe.-Overview:...

 family, native to the Pacific Coastal region of the United States.

Whipplea appears to have been first recorded in 1853 by the Scottish botanical explorer John Jeffrey

John Jeffrey (botanist)

John Jeffrey was a Scottish botanist and plant-hunter active in the United States.Jeffrey was born in Forneth, Parish of Clunie, west of Blairgowrie and Rattray in east Perthshire, Scotland...

 in the Umpqua Valley

Umpqua Valley

Umpqua Valley may refer to:* The valley of the Umpqua River in the U.S. state of Oregon* Umpqua Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area in Oregon...

 near Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and named for Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple

Amiel Weeks Whipple

Amiel Weeks Whipple was an American military engineer and surveyor. He served as a brigadier general in the American Civil War, where he was killed in action. Fort Whipple, now Fort Myer, was named in his honor.-Biography:...

(1817-1863), American surveyor and engineer.