Monardella mojavensis

Granite Mountains monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Granite Mountains monardella is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in eastern desert mountains including Old Woman, Granite, Old Dad, and Providence Mountains in mixed desert scrub, desert riparian scrub, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 800 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white flowers with purple markings, appearing lavender, in compact clusters 10 to 20 millimeters wide. Growing with erect, many-branched stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall, these plants have a distinctive gray to silvery appearance with fine, dense puberulent covering. Its narrow elliptic leaves are 8 to 20 millimeters long, gray-green or silvery, and strongly scented when crushed. The plant's flower clusters feature distinctive bracts 10 to 11 millimeters long, with outer bracts green and leaf-like, becoming pale and papery toward the center.

Habitat: Mixed desert and desert riparian scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland, coarse, rocky slopes, including granitics, occasionally limestone

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 800-1500 m

Bioregions: e DMtns, including edges (Old Woman, Granite, Old Dad, Providence mtns)

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