''Dicerandra frutescens'' is a rare 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, savory, ...

known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is

endemic 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 ...

Highlands County, Florida Highlands County is a County (United States), county located in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 101,235. Its county seat is Sebring, Florida, Sebring ...

, where it is known only from the

Lake Wales Ridge The Lake Wales Ridge, sometimes referred to as the Mid-Florida Ridge,Eastern States Archaeological Federation. ''Archaeology of Eastern North America, Volume 11'', p. 54 is a sand ridge running for about 150 miles south to north in Central Florida. ...

. Its habitat is quickly being lost as it is converted to residential and agricultural use. It was federally listed as an

endangered species 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 ...

of the United States in 1985.USFWS
Determination of endangered status for two Florida mints.
''Federal Register'' November 1, 1985. This

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

grows about half a meter tall from a deep

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

. It is glandular and strongly aromatic with a mint scent. The oblong leaves are roughly 2 centimeters long, smooth-edged, oppositely arranged, and dotted with visible oil glands. The

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a pair of flowers each roughly 1.5 centimeters long. The flower has a tubular throat and a lobed, lipped mouth. The corolla is white to light pink and dotted with darker pink on the lips. The protruding

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are tipped with tiny horned anthers.''Dicerandra frutescens''.
Center for Plant Conservation. Blooming occurs in August through October.USFWS
''Dicerandra frutescens'' Five-year Review.
August 2009. The flowers are

pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

by the bee-fly '' Exprosopa fasciata''. A number of other ''Dicerandra'' have been separated from ''D. frutescens'' and elevated to species status, including '' Dicerandra cornutissima'' in 1981,Huck, R. B. (1981)
''Dicerandra cornutissima'', a new woody Labiate from Florida.
''Phytologia'' 47:313-315. ''

Dicerandra christmanii ''Dicerandra christmanii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Garrett's mint, yellow scrub balm, and Lake Wales balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, in the United States, where it is kn ...

'' in 1989,Huck, R. B., et al. (1989)
A new ''Dicerandra'' (Labiatae) from the Lake Wales Ridge of Florida, with a cladistic analysis and discussion of endemism.
''Systematic Botany'' 14:2 197-213. and '' Dicerandra modesta'' in 2008.Huck, R. B. (2008)
''Dicerandra modesta'' (''Lamiaceae''): Raise in rank for a disjunct perennial in a new coastal clade in Florida.
''Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas'' 2:2 1163-4. This plant grows in endangered

Florida scrub Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrub ...

habitat on the botanically unique Lake Wales Ridge. It is estimated that 74.4% of the native habitat in this area was destroyed or altered by 1981, and the process continues today.''Dicerandra frutescens''.
The Nature Conservancy. There are fourteen occurrences, and nine of them are located on private property that may be slated for development; their status is uncertain and some of them may have been destroyed. The scrub where the plant grows is yellow sand scrub dominated by either

sand pine ''Pinus clausa'' is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, Alabama pine, and scrub pine. Distribution The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central ...

or a mix of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s (''Quercus'' spp.) and

scrub hickory ''Carya floridana'' (syn. ''Hicoria floridana'') the scrub hickory, is a tree native to the Southeast United States, where it is endemic in central Florida. Although it can grow to the height of 25 m (80 ft), many specimens are seen as shrubs 3� ...

(''Carya floridana''), or both types. This kind of habitat is maintained by periodic

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

, a process which is required to clear large and woody vegetation and provide gaps that the smaller plants, including this species, require.

Fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...

is a threat to these species. There is little damage from disease or predation on the plants, but one species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

does use it as a larval host. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

of '' Pyrausta panopealis'' is not disturbed by the aromatic oils that keep most other insects from consuming the plant.Smedley, S. R., et al. (1990)
Interaction of ''Pyrausta panopealis'' (Pyralidae) with a newly reported host, the endangered mint ''Dicerandra frutescens'' (Labiatae).
''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 44(3) 156-62. Furthermore, the moth larva might protect itself from other insects by

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the Human nose, nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like Food-poisoning, foo ...

quantities of the irritating oil all over itself.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5272384 frutescens Endemic flora of Florida Highlands County, Florida Plants described in 1962