''Pogogyne abramsii'' 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 name San Diego mesa mint.

Distribution

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 else ...

to San Diego County, California, where it is known only from a few sites at

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s in and around

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and its suburbs. Much of its range is located on the grounds of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The plant has been federally listed as an endangered species since 1978.

Description

''Pogogyne abramsii'' is a small, aromatic, densely hairy annual herb producing erect stems topped with tiny but showy

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s. The inflorescence contains purple-tinged green bracts and densely hairy

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s surrounding lipped, bell-shaped flowers each about a centimeter long. The flower is pinkish-purple with a purple-spotted white throat. It has a strong mint scent. The plant is

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, a ...

by several species of bee, including

honey bees A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosm ...

(''Apis mellifera''), '' Exomalopsis nitens'' and '' E. torticornis'', and the bee fly '' Bombylius facialis''. The epithet ''abramsii'' commemorates

LeRoy Abrams LeRoy Abrams (1874–1956) was an American botanist and author. He was a Professor of Botany at Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, Californ ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Pogogyne abramsii''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Pogogyne abramsii''

California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile

''Pogogyne abramsii'' — Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5476357 abramsii Endemic flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of San Diego County, California Plants described in 1931 Flora without expected TNC conservation status