Stachys mexicana

Mexican hedgenettle

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mexican hedgenettle is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Sacramento Valley, and San Francisco Bay Area in coastal thickets and damp places at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces magenta to purple flowers in compact clusters of 6 to 8 blooms. Growing with erect or sprawling stems 50 to 150 centimeters tall, it has hairy and occasionally glandular branches that become branched toward the top. Its ovate leaves have well-developed petioles, with heart-shaped (cordate) blades that are serrate, hairy, and glandular, featuring an acute tip. The plant's soft-downy flower clusters have gradually reduced bracts, giving the inflorescence a leafy appearance.

Habitat: Thickets, damp places, generally coastal

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: NW, ScV, SnFrB (rare)

California counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Lake, Trinity

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