''Monardella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of approximately 40 species of

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

and

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to northwestern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> They are grown for their highly aromatic foliage, which in some species is used for herbal teas. The two-lipped, tubular flowers are formed in terminal clusters and are most usually red, pink, or purple. ''Monardella'' is a taxonomic patronym honoring the Spanish botanist

Nicolás Monardes Nicolás Bautista Monardes (1493 – 10 October 1588) was a Spanish physician and botanist. Monardes published several books of varying importance. In ''Diálogo llamado pharmacodilosis'' (1536), he examines humanism and suggests studying s ...

. Plants in this genus are commonly known as wildmints, coyote mints or monardellas.

Systematics

The genus comprises the following species. * '' Monardella antonina'' Hardham - California * ''

Monardella arizonica ''Monardella arizonica'' is a plant species endemic to Arizona in the United States, known by the common name Arizona monardella. Ancient history The species has been confirmed to have been native to northern Arizona since at least the Late Wisc ...

'' Epling - Arizona * '' Monardella australis'' Abrams - southern California * '' Monardella beneolens'' Shevock, Ertter & Jokerst - southern California * '' Monardella boydii'' A.C.Sanders & Elvin - southern California * '' Monardella breweri'' A.Gray - California, Nevada, Arizona, Baja California * '' Monardella candicans'' Benth. - San Joaquín Valley of California * '' Monardella douglasii'' Benth. - San Francisco Bay area of California * '' Monardella eplingii'' Elvin et al.Elvin, M. A., et al. (2013)
''Monardella eplingii'', a new species from the Black Mountains of northwestern Arizona, USA.
''Madroño'' 60(1) 46-54. - Arizona * '' Monardella eremicola'' A.C.Sanders & Elvin - southern California * '' Monardella exilis'' (A.Gray) Greene - southern California, Arizona * '' Monardella follettii'' (Jeps.) Jokerst - northern Sierra Nevada in California * '' Monardella frutescens'' (Hoover) Jokerst - California * '' Monardella hypoleuca'' A.Gray - southern California, Baja California * '' Monardella lagunensis'' M.E.Jones - Baja California Sur * '' Monardella lanceolata'' A.Gray - California * †'' Monardella leucocephala'' A.Gray - Merced & Stanislaus counties in California but believed to be extinct * '' Monardella linoides'' A.Gray - California, Arizona, Nevada, Baja California * ''

Monardella macrantha ''Monardella macrantha'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name red monardella. It is native to coastal mountain ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several habitat types, incl ...

'' A.Gray - California, Baja California * '' Monardella mojavensis'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - Mohave Desert of southeastern California & southern Nevada * '' Monardella nana'' A.Gray - California, Baja California * '' Monardella odoratissima'' Benth. - mountain wildmint, mountain coyote mint or mountain pennyroyal - much of western North America from British Columbia south to southern California & New Mexico * '' Monardella palmeri'' A.Gray - Santa Lucia Mountains of west-central California * †'' Monardella pringlei'' A.Gray - Mohave Desert of southeastern California but believed to be extinct * '' Monardella purpurea'' Howell - Oregon, California * '' Monardella robisonii'' Epling ex Munz - Mohave Desert of southeastern California * '' Monardella saxicola'' I.M.Johnst. - southeastern California * '' Monardella sheltonii'' Torr. ex Durand - Oregon, California * '' Monardella sinuata'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - coastal central California * '' Monardella siskiyouensis'' Hardham - northern California * '' Monardella stebbinsii'' Hardham & Bartel - Plumas County in northern California * '' Monardella stoneana'' Elvin & A.C.Sanders - San Diego County in California, Baja California * '' Monardella × subglabra'' (Hoover) Hardham - California (''M. purpurea'' × ''M. villosa'') * '' Monardella thymifolia'' Greene - Cedros Island in Baja California * '' Monardella undulata'' Benth. - coastal central California * '' Monardella venosa'' (Torr.) A.C.Sanders & Elvin - central California * ''

Monardella villosa ''Monardella villosa'' is a plant in the mint family which is known by the common name coyote mint. This is a perennial wildflower found only in California, except for one subspecies which sometimes occurs in Oregon. It grows in habitats of the ...

'' Benth. - (common) coyote mint - Oregon, California * '' Monardella viminea'' Greene - San Diego County in southern California * ''

Monardella viridis ''Monardella viridis'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family which is endemic to California. Distribution The plant has a disjunct distribution, its two subspecies separated by several hundred miles. The green monardella, ...

'' Jeps. - northern San Francisco Bay area of California (Sonoma, Napa, Solano, & Lake Counties)

Horticulture and ecology

Most like a sunny, sharply drained site and can be attractive in a rock garden or pot in the

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

house if smaller species are selected. The taller ones can be used at the front of a dry sunny border. They have reasonable frost resistance, but resent dampness in winter. Propagate from seed or summer cuttings of perennial species, or by division of clumps. ''Monardella'' is a nectar plant for many

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

(butterflies and moths), including the

endangered 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 inva ...

Myrtle's silverspot (''Speyeria zerene myrtleae''). Several species are rare

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

endemics 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 else ...

; two, the Merced monardella (''M. leucocephala'') and Pringle's monardella (''M. pringlei''), have not been seen in many decades and are presumed

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

.Jepson Manual Treatment: ''M. pringlei''
/ref>

Notes

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile: ''Monardella''

Calflora Database: ''Monardella''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5223309 Lamiaceae genera Flora of North America Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus