Monardella lanceolata
Encyclopedia
Monardella lanceolata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common names mustang mint and mustang monardella. It is native to the mountains of California
and Baja California
, where it grows in chaparral
, woodland, rocky slopes, and often disturbed habitat types.
The inflorescence
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of hairy, pointed, purple-tinged bract
s. The flowers are purple in color and roughly 1.5 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 names mustang mint and mustang monardella. It is native to the mountains of 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 Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, woodland, rocky slopes, and often disturbed habitat types.
Description
Monardella lanceolata is variable in appearance and sometimes divided into a number of indistinct varieties. In general, it is an annual herb producing a branching, purple stem with a coat of glandular hairs. The lance-shaped leaves are 3 or 4 centimeters long and 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 hairy, pointed, 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 in color and roughly 1.5 centimeters long.