Pogogyne nudiuscula
Encyclopedia
Pogogyne nudiuscula is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Otay mesa mint. It is native to southern San Diego County, California
, where it is known only from Otay Mesa
near the border with Baja California
. It was identified on land south of the Mexican border, but these occurrences have probably been extirpated
. It is now known from seven vernal pool
complexes just north of the border, and it is a federally listed endangered species
of the United States.
This annual herb produces an erect stem reaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. Its herbage is strongly aromatic and coated very thinly with stiff hairs, or lacking hairs. The inflorescence
is an interrupted series of flower clusters. The flowers are just over a centimeter long, bell-shaped with narrow throats, and bright purple in color, usually with some white on the lower lip.
This plant faces a number of threats related to the loss and destruction of habitat containing its rare vernal pool ecosystem. These threats include urban development, trash dumping and pollution, vehicles, fire, grazing, and alterations in the local hydrology
.
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 Otay mesa mint. It is native to southern San Diego County, California
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
, where it is known only from Otay Mesa
Otay Mesa, San Diego, California
Otay Mesa is a community in the southern section of the city of San Diego, just north of the U.S.–Mexico border. It is bordered by the Otay River Valley and the city of Chula Vista on the north, Interstate 805 and the neighborhoods of Ocean View Hills and San Ysidro on the west, and unincorporated...
near the border with Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. It was identified on land south of the Mexican border, but these occurrences have probably been extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
. It is now known from seven 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...
complexes just north of the border, and it is a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of the United States.
This annual herb produces an erect stem reaching 30 centimeters in maximum height. Its herbage is strongly aromatic and coated very thinly with stiff hairs, or lacking hairs. The 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...
is an interrupted series of flower clusters. The flowers are just over a centimeter long, bell-shaped with narrow throats, and bright purple in color, usually with some white on the lower lip.
This plant faces a number of threats related to the loss and destruction of habitat containing its rare vernal pool ecosystem. These threats include urban development, trash dumping and pollution, vehicles, fire, grazing, and alterations in the local hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
.