Monardella palmeri
Encyclopedia
Monardella palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Palmer's monardella.
, where it is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains
of the California Coast Ranges in Monterey
and San Luis Obispo Counties
. It grows in local habitat types such as chaparral
and forest, often on serpentine soil
s.
perennial herb forming a tuft of slender, decumbent purplish stems up to about 30 centimeters long. The leathery lance-shaped leaves are 1 to 2 centimeters long.
The inflorescence
is a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of leathery purple bract
s roughly 3 centimeters wide. The pinkish purple flowers are up to 2 centimeters long with tips divided into five narrow lobes.
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 Palmer's monardella.
Distribution
Monardella palmeri is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
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 only from the Santa Lucia Mountains
Santa Lucia Mountains
The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey southeast for 105 miles to San Luis Obispo. The highest summit is Junipero Serra Peak, in Monterey County...
of the California Coast Ranges in Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
and San Luis Obispo Counties
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
. It grows in local habitat types such as 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...
and forest, often on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s.
Description
Monardella palmeri is a rhizomatousRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb forming a tuft of slender, decumbent purplish stems up to about 30 centimeters long. The leathery lance-shaped leaves are 1 to 2 centimeters long.
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 a head of several flowers blooming in a cup of leathery purple 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 roughly 3 centimeters wide. The pinkish purple flowers are up to 2 centimeters long with tips divided into five narrow lobes.