Trichostema austromontanum
Encyclopedia
Trichostema austromontanum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name San Jacinto bluecurls. It is native to California
from the mountains east of the Sierra Nevada to the Transverse Ranges
and Peninsular Ranges
, its distribution extending south into Baja California
. It occurs in wet mountain meadows and on the shores of lakes. It is an annual herb approaching half a meter in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in glandular and nonglandular hairs. The elongated or lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a series of clusters of flowers located at each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepal
s and a tubular, lipped purple corolla. The four stamen
s are long and curved.
There are two subspecies. The rarer, ssp. compactum, the Hidden Lake bluecurls, is known only from one location at Hidden Lake, a small seasonal alpine
lake in the San Jacinto Mountains
of Riverside County, California
. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. The main threat to its existence is trampling by hikers and sightseers.
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 San Jacinto bluecurls. It is native to 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...
from the mountains east of the Sierra Nevada to the Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
and 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...
, its distribution extending south into 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...
. It occurs in wet mountain meadows and on the shores of lakes. It is an annual herb approaching half a meter in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in glandular and nonglandular hairs. The elongated or lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 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 series of clusters of flowers located at each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and a tubular, lipped purple corolla. The four stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are long and curved.
There are two subspecies. The rarer, ssp. compactum, the Hidden Lake bluecurls, is known only from one location at Hidden Lake, a small seasonal alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
lake in the San Jacinto Mountains
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
of Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. The main threat to its existence is trampling by hikers and sightseers.