Monardella nana
Encyclopedia
Monardella nana is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name yellow monardella. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges
of southern California
and northern Baja California
, where it grows in several local habitat types, such as chaparral
and mountain forest.
perennial herb forming a tuft or mat of slender stems lined with hairy to hairless oval leaves up to 3 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of pink-tinged white bract
s. The tubular flowers are white to pale pink in color and up to 3 centimeters long.
There are several subspecies of this plant, all limited to the mountains straddling the border between California and Baja California.
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 yellow monardella. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
of southern 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 northern 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 several local habitat types, such as 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...
and mountain forest.
Description
Monardella nana is a rhizomatousRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb forming a tuft or mat of slender stems lined with hairy to hairless oval leaves up to 3 centimeters long. 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 pink-tinged white 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 tubular flowers are white to pale pink in color and up to 3 centimeters long.
There are several subspecies of this plant, all limited to the mountains straddling the border between California and Baja California.