genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of approximately 40 species of
annual
Annual may refer to:
* Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
**Yearbook
**Literary annual
* Annual plant
*Annual report
*Annual giving
*Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
*Annuals (band), ...
and
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
plants
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
native to western North America from
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
to northwestern
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families /ref> They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for herbal teas. The two-lipped, tubular flowers are formed in terminal clusters and are most usually red, pink, or purple.
''Monardella'' is a taxonomic patronym honoring the Spanish botanist
Nicolás Monardes
Nicolás Bautista Monardes (1493 – 10 October 1588) was a Spanish physician and botanist.
Monardes published several books of varying importance. In ''Diálogo llamado pharmacodilosis'' (1536), he examines humanism and suggests studying se ...
. Plants in this genus are commonly known as wildmints, coyote mints or monardellas.
Systematics
The genus comprises the following species.
* ''
Monardella antonina
''Monardella antonina'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Antonio Hills monardella. It is endemic to California, where its two subspecies are restricted to narrow sections of the Central C ...
Monardella australis
''Monardella australis'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, known by the common name southern monardella.
Distribution
The plant is endemic to southern California, in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is known only from populatio ...
'' Abrams - southern California
* ''
Monardella beneolens
''Monardella beneolens'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name sweet-smelling monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella beneolens'' is endemic to California, where it is known from just a few occurrences in ...
'' Shevock, Ertter & Jokerst - southern California
* ''
Monardella boydii
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for ...
'' A.C.Sanders & Elvin - southern California
* ''
Monardella breweri
''Monardella breweri'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Brewer's monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella breweri'' is endemic to California, where its range extends from the San Francisco Bay Area throug ...
'' A.Gray - California, Nevada, Arizona, Baja California
* ''
Monardella candicans
''Monardella candicans'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Sierra monardella.
Distribution
It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, where it grows in several types of local habitat, i ...
'' Benth. - San Joaquín Valley of California
* ''
Monardella douglasii
''Monardella douglasii'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Douglas' monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella douglasii'' is endemic to northern California, where it is known from several of the Inner Southe ...
'' Benth. - San Francisco Bay area of California
* ''
Monardella eplingii
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for ...
Monardella eremicola
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for ...
'' A.C.Sanders & Elvin - southern California
* ''
Monardella exilis
''Monardella exilis'', with the common names Mojave monardella and desert monardella, is an annual plant in the genus ''Monardella'' of the mint family (Lamiaceae).
Distribution
The plant is endemic to California, in the Mojave Desert and southe ...
Monardella follettii
''Monardella follettii'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Follett's monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella follettii'' is endemic to California, where it is known from about twenty occurrences ...
'' (Jeps.) Jokerst - northern Sierra Nevada in California
* ''
Monardella frutescens
''Monardella frutescens'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Luis Obispo monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella frutescens'' is endemic to California, where it is known only from the sand dunes an ...
'' (Hoover) Jokerst - California
* ''
Monardella hypoleuca
''Monardella hypoleuca'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, known by the common names thickleaf monardella and white leaf monardella.
It is endemic to Southern California, It grows on the coastal hills and slopes of the Peninsu ...
'' A.Gray - southern California, Baja California
* ''
Monardella lagunensis
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for ...
'' M.E.Jones - Baja California Sur
* ''
Monardella lanceolata
''Monardella lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names mustang mint and mustang monardella. It is native to the mountains of California and Baja California, where it grows in chaparral, woodland, ro ...
'' A.Gray - California
* †''
Monardella leucocephala
''Monardella leucocephala'' is a believed-to-be-extinct flowering plant in the genus ''Monardella
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to nort ...
'' A.Gray - Merced & Stanislaus counties in California but believed to be extinct
* ''
Monardella linoides
''Monardella linoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name flaxleaf monardella.
It is native to southern California and slightly into adjacent sections of Nevada, Arizona, and Baja California.
It grows i ...
'' A.Gray - California, Arizona, Nevada, Baja California
* ''
Monardella macrantha
''Monardella macrantha'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name red monardella. It is native to coastal mountain ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several habitat types, incl ...
'' A.Gray - California, Baja California
* ''
Monardella mojavensis
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for ...
'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - Mohave Desert of southeastern California & southern Nevada
* ''
Monardella nana
''Monardella nana'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name yellow monardella. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges of southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in several local habitat ...
'' A.Gray - California, Baja California
* ''
Monardella odoratissima
''Monardella odoratissima'' (mountain coyote mint, mountain beebalm, mountain monardella or mountain pennyroyal) is a perennial flowering plant which grows in mountain forests and sagebrush scrub. It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae ...
'' Benth. - mountain wildmint, mountain coyote mint or mountain pennyroyal - much of western North America from British Columbia south to southern California & New Mexico
* ''
Monardella palmeri
''Monardella palmeri'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Palmer's monardella.
Distribution
''Monardella palmeri'' is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains of the ...
'' A.Gray - Santa Lucia Mountains of west-central California
* †''
Monardella pringlei
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used f ...
'' A.Gray - Mohave Desert of southeastern California but believed to be extinct
* ''
Monardella purpurea
''Monardella purpurea'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Siskiyou monardella and serpentine monardella.
It is native to the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon, including the Klama ...
'' Howell - Oregon, California
* '' Monardella robisonii'' Epling ex Munz - Mohave Desert of southeastern California
* ''
Monardella saxicola
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used f ...
'' I.M.Johnst. - southeastern California
* ''
Monardella sheltonii
''Monardella sheltonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Shelton's monardella.
It is native to the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon, including the Klamath Mountains and Sierra N ...
'' Torr. ex Durand - Oregon, California
* ''
Monardella sinuata
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is us ...
'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - coastal central California
* ''
Monardella siskiyouensis
''Monardella siskiyouensis'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Siskiyou monardella.
It is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains of California, where it grows in chaparral and woodland habi ...
'' Hardham - northern California
* '' Monardella stebbinsii'' Hardham & Bartel - Plumas County in northern California
* ''
Monardella stoneana
''Monardella stoneana'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Jennifer's monardella.
This species was named for the plant ecologist Jennifer Stone. This critically endangered species was separated f ...
'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - San Diego County in California, Baja California
* '' Monardella × subglabra'' (Hoover) Hardham - California (''M. purpurea'' × ''M. villosa'')
* ''
Monardella thymifolia
''Monardella'' is a genus of approximately 40 species of annual and perennial plants native to western North America from British Columbia to northwestern Mexico. They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is us ...
'' Greene - Cedros Island in Baja California
* '' Monardella undulata'' Benth. - coastal central California
* '' Monardella venosa'' (Torr.) A.C.Sanders & Elvin - central California
* '' Monardella villosa'' Benth. - (common) coyote mint - Oregon, California
* ''
Monardella viminea
''Monardella viminea'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name willowy monardella.
It is endemic to coastal San Diego County, within the City of San Diego, in southern California.Monardella viridis'' Jeps. - northern San Francisco Bay area of California (Sonoma, Napa, Solano, & Lake Counties)
Horticulture and ecology
Most like a sunny, sharply drained site and can be attractive in a
rock garden
A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...
or pot in the alpine house if smaller species are selected. The taller ones can be used at the front of a dry sunny border. They have reasonable frost resistance, but resent dampness in winter. Propagate from seed or summer cuttings of perennial species, or by division of clumps.
''Monardella'' is a nectar plant for many Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), including the
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
Myrtle's silverspot
Myrtle's silverspot (''Speyeria zerene myrtleae'') is a medium-sized butterfly in the brush foot family (Nymphalidae), an endangered subspecies of the zerene fritillary. It is endemic to California, where it is known from only about four location ...
(''Speyeria zerene myrtleae'').
Several species are rare
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
endemics
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
; two, the Merced monardella (''M. leucocephala'') and Pringle's monardella (''M. pringlei''), have not been seen in many decades and are presumed extinct.Jepson Manual Treatment: ''M. pringlei'' /ref>