Monardella saxicola

Rock monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Rock monardella is a California native shrub found in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains in montane chaparral and conifer forest at elevations of 425 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces purple to lavender flowers in dense clusters approximately 20 to 30 millimeters wide. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall that are short-appressed-hairy and grayish to light green, it forms a compact subshrub. Its leaves are 20 to 40 millimeters long and 5 to 12 millimeters wide, smooth-edged and appearing grayish with coarse spreading hairs on the lower surface. The flower's slender calyx and exserted stamens create a distinctive appearance characteristic of this rocky mountain species.

Habitat: Montane chaparral, conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 425-1800 m

Bioregions: e SnGb.

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