Pogogyne nudiuscula

Otay mesa mint, Otay Mesa Mint

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Otay mesa mint is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern Southern California Coast region in Otay Mesa, San Diego County, inhabiting coastal mesa vernal pools at elevations of 100 to 250 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces purple flowers 11 to 14 millimeters long in bell-shaped blossoms with sparse hairy petals. Growing with erect, stout stems 9 to 30 centimeters tall and approximately 0.8 to 1 millimeter wide at the base of its inflorescence, it develops dense clusters with green bracts that have acute tips. Its stems feature sparse, short, generally straight, bristle-like hairs with a compact growth habit. The fruit is approximately 1.5 millimeters in size, contributing to its delicate annual lifecycle.

Habitat: Coastal mesa vernal pools

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 100-250 m

Bioregions: s SCo (Otay Mesa, San Diego Co.)

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