Monardella exilis

Desert monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Desert monardella is a native annual herb found in southeastern Sierra Nevada, northern Transverse Ranges, and northwestern Mojave Desert in desert scrub, washes, and pinyon woodland at elevations of 600 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces white flowers with purple-tinged calyces and gland-tipped corolla lobes in compact clusters 10 to 20 millimeters wide. Growing with erect, branched stems 6 to 30 centimeters tall that are softly hairy, it has a delicate, open branching habit. Its conspicuously petioled leaves are lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 15 to 37 millimeters long and 3 to 8 millimeters wide, with distinctive green leaves sometimes showing a subtle purple tinge. The plant's white-tipped calyx lobes and slightly exserted stamens with purple anther sacs add to its subtle botanical charm.

Habitat: Desert scrub, washes, pinyon woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: 600-2100 m

Bioregions: se SN, n TR, nw DMoj.

California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Tulare, Inyo

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