Monardella candicans

Sierra monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Sierra monardella is a California native annual herb found in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and eastern San Joaquin Valley in sandy or gravelly soils of oak woodland, chaparral, and lower yellow-pine forest at elevations of 40 to 1,250 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white flowers with purple spots, clustered in compact heads 12 to 25 millimeters wide with distinctive scarious bracts having white margins and green veins. Growing 15 to 55 centimeters tall with slightly purple stems that are softly hairy, it develops branches primarily in the upper portion of the plant. Its leaves are notably long-petioled, lance-shaped, 20 to 50 millimeters long and 3 to 12 millimeters wide, with a soft pubescent surface. Each flower features a white-margined calyx and a corolla with conspicuous glands at the tip of its lobes, creating an intricate and delicate botanical display.

Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils, oak woodland, chaparral, lower yellow-pine forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 40-1250 m

Bioregions: SNF, e SnJV (extirpated n SnJV).

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