Acanthomintha obovata
Encyclopedia
Acanthomintha obovata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
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 San Benito 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 grows in the woodland and 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...

 of the coastal mountain ranges in the central part of the state.

This is a small annual herb growing up to about 25 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are about a centimeter long, oval-shaped, and toothed, and those on the upper part of the plant are spiny along the edges.

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 enfolded in shiny, light-colored 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 with long spines along their margins. The flowers are purple-tipped white and up to nearly 3 centimeters long. They are coated in glandular hairs and their lobes are folded over at the lips.

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