Trichostema ovatum

San joaquin bluecurls

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

San joaquin bluecurls is a California native annual found in southern San Joaquin Valley and western Transverse Ranges (Ventura County) in grasslands and disturbed sites at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces subtle blue to purple flowers with distinctive curved corollas sharply recurved near the throat. Growing with woolly stems up to 80 centimeters tall, featuring soft, curled or spreading hairs that include glandular elements. Its leaves are small and ovate, approximately 1 to 2 centimeters long, with prominent lateral veins near the base. The plant's unusual flower structure includes stamens 11 to 16 millimeters long and a curved corolla tube that extends beyond the calyx.

Habitat: Grassland, disturbed sites

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: s SnJV, w WTR (Ventura Co.).

California counties: Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Fresno, Kings, Tulare

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