Acanthomintha obovata subsp. obovata

San benito thornmint, San Benito Thornmint, San Benito thorn-mint

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

San benito thornmint is a rare (CNPS 4.2) California native annual found in the South-Central Coast Interior bioregion in grassy slopes, oak woodland, and chaparral, often on vertic clay or occasionally serpentine areas at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small, delicate flowers with distinctive white to lavender petals nestled among spiny bracts. Growing with slender stems covered in short to long hairs, some inconspicuously glandular, it forms compact clusters that blend into its grassland habitat. Its leaves are small and textured, typically arranged in a way that highlights the plant's intricate structural details. The flowers feature anthers moderately covered in woolly hairs, giving the plant a soft yet prickly appearance characteristic of its thornmint lineage.

Habitat: Grassy slopes, oak woodland, chaparral, vertic clay, occasionally serpentine

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: SCoRI.

California counties: San Benito, Ventura, Monterey, Fresno

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.