Monardella australis subsp. cinerea

Gray monardella, Gray Monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Gray monardella is a California native shrub found in the southern Gabilan Range in mid-montane to subalpine forest at elevations of 1,800 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces rose-purple flowers in fragrant clusters 10 to 18 millimeters wide, with narrowly ovate bracts that have a subtle purple tinge. Growing as a matted plant with decumbent stems 3 to 15 centimeters long, it features distinctive long-spreading and short-glandular hairs. Its leaves are narrowly triangular-ovate, sessile, 5 to 10 millimeters long with occasional faint teeth or wavy margins. The plant's delicate flowers have stamens that extend slightly beyond the corolla, creating an intricate and aromatic display in its high-elevation mountain habitats.

Habitat: Mid-montane to subalpine forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1800-3100 m

Bioregions: SnGb.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, El Dorado

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