Monardella pringlei

Pringle's monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1A

Pringle's monardella is a rare (CNPS 1A) California native annual found in eastern Southern California near Colton, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in interior sand dunes at elevations of 300 to 400 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces rose or purple flowers in compact clusters 15 to 20 millimeters wide with distinctive purple-tinged bracts. Growing with erect gray-green stems 11 to 32 centimeters tall and branching near the base, it has a delicate, hairy appearance. Its leaves are 8 to 48 millimeters long, 2 to 12 millimeters wide, and covered in soft hairs, giving the plant a soft, textured look. The flowers feature long-hairy, awl-like calyx lobes and stamens with deep-purple anther sacs that contrast beautifully with the rose or purple corolla.

Habitat: Interior sand dunes, sandy soils

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 300-400 m

Bioregions: e SCo (near Colton, Riverside, San Bernardino cos.).

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