''Trichostema ovatum'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the

mint family The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, sav ...

known by the common name San Joaquin bluecurls.

Distribution

It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where it occurs in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

habitat, as well as disturbed and

alkali soils Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico ...

, such as

chenopod Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making ...

scrub.

Description

''Trichostema ovatum'' is an annual herb approaching 80 centimeters in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in woolly glandular and nonglandular hairs. The pointed oval leaves are 1 or 2 centimeters long. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a series of clusters of flowers located at each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and a tubular, lipped purple corolla. The four

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are long and curved, measuring up to 1.6 centimeters long. The plant blooms in May through October, with peak flowering in the hot summer.Valley Flora Propagation Center Species Profile.
CSU Stanislaus. Adequate rainfall is necessary for

germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...

References

External links

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Calflora Database: ''Trichostema ovatum'' (San Joaquin bluecurls)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Trichostema ovatum''UC Photos gallery: ''Trichostema ovatum''
ovatum Endemic flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Transverse Ranges ~ Threatened flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Lamiaceae-stub