Monardella villosa subsp. franciscana

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Franciscan coyote mint is a California native shrub found in southern North Coast, northern Central Coast, and San Francisco Bay bioregions, including San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, in coastal scrub and woodland habitats at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces lavender to purple flowers in dense clusters 15 to 40 millimeters wide. Growing with a matted to erect form and stems that range from densely white-woolly to nearly hairless, it forms compact clusters with distinctive foliage. Its thick leaves are ovate to widely triangular-ovate, ranging from entire to slightly serrate, with a distinctive truncate base and undersides that appear white or green with sunken veins. The plant's unique woolly texture and compact growth habit make it a distinctive component of coastal California landscapes.

Habitat: Coastal scrub, woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: s NCo, n CCo, SnFrB (San Mateo, Santa Clara cos.).

California counties: San Mateo, Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Napa, Monterey

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