Monardella sinuata subsp. sinuata

southern curly- leaved monardella

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Southern curly-leaved monardella is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southern Central Coast, southern Coast Ranges, and historically in Ventura County in sandy coastal strand, dune, sagebrush scrub, and coastal chaparral habitats at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces purple flowers in compact clusters 10 to 25 millimeters wide with distinctively wavy-edged leaves. Growing with erect, sparingly branched stems 8 to 65 centimeters tall in straw-colored to red-brown tones, it has a slender structure with minimal branching. Its leaves are linear to oblanceolate, 10 to 55 millimeters long and 4 to 10 millimeters wide, with margins that range from weakly to strongly undulating. The flower clusters feature elliptic to narrowly ovate bracts 7 to 16 millimeters long, sparsely covered in fine hairs.

Habitat: Sandy soils, coastal strand, dune and sagebrush scrub, coastal chaparral and oak woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: s CCo (San Luis Obispo Co. and s), s SCoRO, extirpated w SCo (Ventura Co.).

California counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Monterey, Ventura

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