Monardella glauca
Encyclopedia
Monardella glauca is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name pale monardella. It is native to the western United States where it grows in many types of habitat, including in the Great Basin
and Sierra Nevada.
The inflorescence
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of purple-tinged bract
s. The flowers are purple to reddish in color and one to two centimeters long.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name pale monardella. It is native to the western United States where it grows in many types of habitat, including in the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
and Sierra Nevada.
Description
Monardella glauca is quite variable in appearance. In general, it is a perennial herb producing one or more greenish, grayish, or purplish stems which may be hairy to hairless, waxy, or bristly in texture. The oval leaves are oppositely arranged about the stem.The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of purple-tinged bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. The flowers are purple to reddish in color and one to two centimeters long.