Trichostema laxum
Encyclopedia
Trichostema laxum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name turpentine weed. It is native to northern California
and Oregon
, where it grows in coastal and inland mountains and foothills, sometimes on serpentine soil
s. 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 up to 7 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a series of clusters of flowers located at each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of green or reddish sepal
s and a tubular, lipped purple corolla. The four stamen
s are long and curved, measuring up to 1.6 centimeters in length.
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 turpentine weed. It is native to northern 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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it grows in coastal and inland mountains and foothills, sometimes on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. 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 up to 7 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 green or reddish 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, measuring up to 1.6 centimeters in length.