Trichostema rubisepalum
Encyclopedia
Trichostema rubisepalum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Hernandez bluecurls. It is endemic to California
, where it has a disjunct distribution
, occurring in three main locations. It is known from the North Coast Ranges of Napa County
, the Central Coast Ranges of San Benito County
south of the San Francisco Bay Area
, and a section of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Its habitat includes forest, woodland, chaparral
, and intermittent streambeds and seasonal pools. This annual herb grows to approximately half a meter in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in long and short glandular and nonglandular hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped. The inflorescence
is a long cyme of flowers growing from the stem between each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepal
s which often take on a dark red coloration. The flower has a tubular throat and a lipped, purple corolla. The four protruding, curved stamen
s are about half a centimeter 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 Hernandez bluecurls. It is endemic 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...
, where it has a disjunct distribution
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
, occurring in three main locations. It is known from the North Coast Ranges of Napa County
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
, the Central Coast Ranges of San Benito County
San Benito County, California
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...
south of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and a section of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Its habitat includes forest, woodland, 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 intermittent streambeds and seasonal pools. This annual herb grows to approximately half a meter in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in long and short glandular and nonglandular hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped. 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. 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 which often take on a dark red coloration. The flower has a tubular throat and a lipped, purple corolla. The four protruding, curved stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are about half a centimeter long.