Monardella candicans
Encyclopedia
Monardella candicans is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Sierra monardella.
, where it grows in several types of local habitat, including chaparral
, woodland, and forests.
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of green, veined bract
s. Each five-lobed flower is white, sometimes with purple speckles, and roughly a centimeter long.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name Sierra monardella.
Distribution
It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in several types of local habitat, including chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, woodland, and forests.
Description
Monardella candicans is an annual herb producing a purple stem with lance-shaped green leaves arranged oppositely. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of green, veined bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. Each five-lobed flower is white, sometimes with purple speckles, and roughly a centimeter long.