Pogogyne clareana
Encyclopedia
Pogogyne clareana is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Santa Lucia mint. It is endemic to Monterey, California
, where it is known only from about fifty occurrences all located within the bounds of Fort Hunter Liggett
, a US Army
training facility. The local habitat is made up of chaparral
and oak woodland with occasional vernal pool
s and summer-dry creek beds.
This is a small, aromatic annual herb producing slender, erect stems 15 to 25 centimeters tall. Stems are topped with small but showy inflorescence
s containing hairy sepal
s and lipped, funnel-shaped flowers in shades of pinkish-purple with purple-spotted white throats. They have a strong mint scent. The plants flower for about two weeks in June, and each produces a single seed.
The plant has a very limited range and faces threats there that include erosion
, vehicles and military activity, and dust from dirt road
s.
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 Santa Lucia mint. It is endemic to Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, where it is known only from about fifty occurrences all located within the bounds of Fort Hunter Liggett
Fort Hunter Liggett
Fort Hunter Liggett , named after General Hunter Liggett in 1941, is a United States Army fort in southern Monterey County, California, about 250 miles north of Los Angeles and south of San Francisco...
, a US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
training facility. The local habitat is made up of 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...
and oak woodland with occasional vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s and summer-dry creek beds.
This is a small, aromatic annual herb producing slender, erect stems 15 to 25 centimeters tall. Stems are topped with small but showy inflorescence
Inflorescence
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...
s containing hairy sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and lipped, funnel-shaped flowers in shades of pinkish-purple with purple-spotted white throats. They have a strong mint scent. The plants flower for about two weeks in June, and each produces a single seed.
The plant has a very limited range and faces threats there that include erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, vehicles and military activity, and dust from dirt road
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
s.