Condea emoryi

Desert lavender, Desert Lavender

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Desert lavender is a California native shrub found in southern Desert Mountains and Desert Sonoran regions in gravelly, sandy washes, canyons, and desert scrub at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from January to May, this plant produces violet flowers in loose clusters with small bracts, creating delicate spheric inflorescences. Growing 1 to 4 meters tall with erect to spreading branches covered in dense, branched white hairs that become smoother with age. Its leaves are small, generally 1 to 3 centimeters long, ovate to nearly round with slightly toothed edges and short petioles. The plant's dense white hairiness and compact form make it a distinctive component of its arid desert habitat.

Habitat: Gravelly, sandy washes, canyons, desert scrub

Bloom period: Jan-May

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: s DMoj, DSon

California counties: Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego

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