Monardella breweri subsp. lanceolata

Mustang mint, Mustang Mint

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Mustang mint is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada, southern Coast Ranges, and Southwest in open, rocky sites within chaparral, oak woodland, and conifer forest at elevations up to 3,400 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces purple flowers in compact clusters 5 to 25 millimeters wide, with distinctive green or purple-tipped bracts. Growing with slender stems 9 to 65 centimeters tall that are purple and glandular-hairy toward the tips, it has an upright, delicate appearance. Its narrow leaves are lanceolate, 15 to 60 millimeters long and 4 to 12 millimeters wide, giving the plant a graceful, grass-like texture. The flowers feature exserted stamens and a purple corolla 12 to 15 millimeters long, creating an elegant and distinctive mint-like presentation.

Habitat: Open, rocky, occasionally disturbed sites; grassy openings in chaparral, oak woodland, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: < 3400 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRF, s CaRH, SN, s SCoRO, SW

California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, Mono, Orange, Nevada, Tehama, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Madera, Santa Barbara, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yuba, Butte, Mariposa, Fresno, San Joaquin, Shasta, Plumas, Sierra, Inyo, Monterey, Placer

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