Trichostema micranthum
Encyclopedia
Trichostema micranthum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name smallflower bluecurls. It is native to Arizona
and Baja California
, with populations also occurring in the San Bernardino Mountains
of California
. Its habitat includes meadows and riverbanks. It is an annual herb growing a few centimeters tall, approaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. Its aromatic herbage is coated in short, glandular and nonglandular hairs. The pointed oval or lance-shaped leaves are up to 4.5 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 a few millimeters in length. The four stamen
s are sometimes protrude from the lips of the corolla.
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 smallflower bluecurls. It is native to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
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...
, with populations also occurring in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
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...
. Its habitat includes meadows and riverbanks. It is an annual herb growing a few centimeters tall, approaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. Its aromatic herbage is coated in short, glandular and nonglandular hairs. The pointed oval or lance-shaped leaves are up to 4.5 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 a few millimeters in length. The four stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are sometimes protrude from the lips of the corolla.