Monardella nana
Little monardella
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Monardella nana (Little monardella) is a native California subshrub in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by white/cream flowers with very narrow tubes are unique.
Little monardella is a California native shrub found in the Peninsular Ranges in montane chaparral, woodland, forest, and dry desert-like slopes at elevations of 800 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to cream-yellow flowers, occasionally rose-tinged, in clusters 10 to 35 millimeters wide with distinctive white bracts often marked with rose or purple tints. Growing as a low, matted subshrub with stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms tufted clumps with rhizomes and variable hair patterns. Its leaves are narrowly ovate to round, 5 to 30 millimeters long, ranging from green to ash-gray, with bases that are truncate to wedge-shaped and surfaces that can be glabrous or lightly hairy. The flower's cylindrical corolla tube is 15 to 25 millimeters long, with oblong lobes 4 to 10 millimeters in length, creating a delicate, compact botanical form.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; white/cream flowers with very narrow tubes are unique
Habitat and range
Habitat: Montane chaparral, woodland, forest, dry desert-like slopes
Elevation: 800-2600 m
California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, San Bernardino, Fresno, Lake, Mendocino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles
Outside California: Baja California
Bloom period
Monardella nana blooms May-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Mentha: Mint has multiple flower clusters spaced along the stem; Monardella has one terminal pom-pom head per stem.; vs Salvia: Sage has flowers spaced along an elongated spike; Monardella's flowers are densely packed into a rounded head.; vs Veronica: Speedwell has flowers in a loose spike and isn't aromatic; Monardella's flowers form a dense head with mint scent.; vs Phacelia: Phacelia's flower clusters uncurl like a fern; Monardella's form a compact, stationary head with a bract collar.; vs Valeriana: Valerian has tiny flowers in branched clusters; Monardella has larger mint flowers in a single terminal head.
Frequently asked questions
Is Monardella nana native to California?
Yes. Monardella nana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Monardella nana bloom?
Monardella nana blooms May-Aug.
Where in California does Monardella nana grow?
Monardella nana occurs in Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, San Bernardino, Fresno, Lake, Mendocino, Monterey and other counties, at elevations of 800-2600 m.
What plant family does Monardella nana belong to?
Monardella nana is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Monardella.
What habitat does Monardella nana grow in?
Monardella nana grows in Montane chaparral, woodland, forest, dry desert-like slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.