Acanthomintha lanceolata
Encyclopedia
Acanthomintha lanceolata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Santa Clara thornmint. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from several counties surrounding and south of the San Francisco Bay Area
. It is an uncommon resident of rocky habitat in coastal and inland mountain ranges.
This is a small, hairy annual herb growing to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. It is coated in glandular hairs and it has an unpleasant scent. The oval-shaped, toothed leaves are 1 to 2 centimeters long and have spiny, glandular surfaces.
The inflorescence
includes bract
s armed with centimeter-long spines and glandular, hairy white to pink-tinted flowers up to 2.5 centimeters long. Each flower has lobed, hooded upper and lower lips forming a deep cup.
Typical habitat type is shale or serpentine scree.
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 Clara thornmint. It is endemic to California
California
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 is known from several counties surrounding and south of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. It is an uncommon resident of rocky habitat in coastal and inland mountain ranges.
This is a small, hairy annual herb growing to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. It is coated in glandular hairs and it has an unpleasant scent. The oval-shaped, toothed leaves are 1 to 2 centimeters long and have spiny, glandular surfaces.
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...
includes 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 armed with centimeter-long spines and glandular, hairy white to pink-tinted flowers up to 2.5 centimeters long. Each flower has lobed, hooded upper and lower lips forming a deep cup.
Typical habitat type is shale or serpentine scree.