Trichostema parishii
Encyclopedia
Trichostema parishii is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Parish's bluecurls. It is native to the Transverse Ranges
and Peninsular Ranges
of southern California
, its distribution extending south into Baja California
. Its habitat includes chaparral
and coastal sage scrub
. This shrub
grows to a maximum height around a meter, its aromatic herbage coated in short glandular and nonglandular hairs. The linear leaves are up to 6 centimeters long. Their edges curl under, and they are hairy, especially on the undersides. A cluster of smaller leaves may occur in the axils of each main leaf. The inflorescence
is a long cyme of flowers growing from the stem between each leaf pair. The inflorescence is coated in fluffy, woolly hairs in shades of blue, pink and purple. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepal
s and a tubular, lipped purple corolla, the main lower lip measuring up to a centimeter in length. The four stamen
s are long and curved, measuring up to 2.5 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 name Parish's bluecurls. It is native 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...
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...
, 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...
. Its habitat includes 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 coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
. This shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
grows to a maximum height around a meter, its aromatic herbage coated in short glandular and nonglandular hairs. The linear leaves are up to 6 centimeters long. Their edges curl under, and they are hairy, especially on the undersides. A cluster of smaller leaves may occur in the axils of each main leaf. 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 long cyme of flowers growing from the stem between each leaf pair. The inflorescence is coated in fluffy, woolly hairs in shades of blue, pink and purple. 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 main lower lip measuring up to a centimeter in length. The four stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are long and curved, measuring up to 2.5 centimeters long.