Lepechinia cardiophylla | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Genus: | Lepechinia |
Species: | L. cardiophylla |
Binomial name | |
Lepechinia cardiophylla Epling | |
Lepechinia cardiophylla is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Santa Ana pitcher sage and heart-leaved pitcher sage. A broad-leaved fragrant shrub, it has distinct pitcher-shaped flowers. It is native to the Peninsular Ranges and found in the Santa Ana Mountains of Southern California, a few locations in San Diego County, and some of the coastal mountains of northern Baja California. Few populations of the plant are known and many of them are located in areas that are threatened by development and other human activity.
Lepechinia cardiophylla is an aromatic shrub with branching stems covered in resin glands. The hairy, glandular leaves are heart-shaped to oval-shaped and often toothed along the edges.
The raceme inflorescence bears flowers on prominent pedicels. Each flower is a cuplike calyx of glandular sepals around a tubular white to lavender corolla. The corolla is curled back at the mouth into small lips.
The fruit is a dark colored, hairless body a few millimeters long which develops within the calyx of sepals.
This species was first described by Carl Epling in 1948. It is characterized by its strongly cordate leaves that are broadly ovate in outline. It can be distinguished by the shape and size of the leaves from Lepechinia calycina and from Lepechinia fragrans by the texture and shape of the calyx. [2]
Lepechinia cardiophylla was first described from the chaparral of the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County, California, where it is mostly concentrated. [2] A disjunct population is located in San Diego County, around Iron Mountain in Poway, occupying the intermediate gap between the larger populations in the Santa Anas and the ones in Baja California. In southern San Diego County, the species is instead replaced by the distinct Lepechinia ganderi. [3] In Baja California, this species is found abundantly on the Cerro Bola, and is distributed south to the coastal mountains of Ensenada to Ejido Eréndira. [4] Its distribution is possibly relictual. [3]
This species is primarily found growing in chaparral and cismontane woodland. In Orange County it is associated with Exchequer soils, while in San Diego County, Iron Mountain has primarily Friant rocky fine sandy loams. The populations in Baja California, such as on the Cerro Bola, are found on volcanic derived soils. [3]
Lepechinia fragrans is a flowering herbaceous shrub known by the common names island pitchersage and fragrant pitchersage. It is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family, but like other Lepechinia, the flowers are borne in racemes instead of in mintlike whorls.
Lepechinia is a genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It includes several species of plants known commonly as pitchersages. Plants of this genus can be found in Central and South America, Mexico, California, Hispaniola, and Hawaii, although the species in Hawaii is probably a human introduction. Many of them bear attractive pitcher-shaped flowers, often in shades of purple. The genus was named for the Russian botanist Ivan Ivanovich Lepechin. In 2011, the two monotypic genera Chaunostoma and Neoeplingia were shown to be part of Lepechinia.
Lepechinia calycina is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name pitchersage or woodbalm. It is endemic to California, where it is a common plant in several different habitat types, including the chaparral plant community.
Lepechinia ganderi is a rare species of perennial shrub in the mint family known by the common name San Diego pitcher sage or Gander's pitcher sage. An aromatic plant with white to lavender flowers, this species is only known from southern San Diego County in California and a small portion of Baja California, occurring on chaparral or coastal sage scrub in metavolcanic soils. Because of its limited range, it is under threat from growing urbanization and increased fire frequency.
Salvia brandegeei is a perennial evergreen shrub in the mint family known by the common names Santa Rosa Island sage or Brandegee's sage. It is a fragrant plant characterized by lavender flowers and dark green leaves. For many years, it was thought to be native only to Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, until it was discovered along the coast of Baja California. It is threatened by development and mining along the mainland portions of its range, but otherwise has a stable population on Santa Rosa Island.
Ribes canthariforme is a rare species of currant commonly known as the Moreno currant. It is characterized by pink to red flowers, a dense inflorescence, and a lack of nodal spines. A little-known endemic to the mountains of San Diego County, it is usually found growing the shade of massive boulders in the chaparral. Although the rarity and small numbers of this plant is a conservation concern, it is usually found in remote areas and is well hidden enough to be safe from most threats.
Rupertia rigida is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Parish's California tea, or Parish's rupertia.
Salvia munzii is a semi-evergreen perennial species of sage known by the common name Munz's sage or San Miguel Mountain sage. It is native to northern Baja California, Mexico, and it can be found in a few locations just north of the border in San Diego County, California, where it is particularly rare. It is characterized by small leaves and clear blue flowers. It is a member of the coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities.
Clinopodium chandleri is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Miguel savory. It is native to northern Baja California and several areas of southern California, where it can be found in mountain chaparral. A fragrant plant with white flowers, it is one of southern California's rarest shrubs.
Stemodia durantifolia is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family commonly known as the whitewoolly twintip and purple stemodia. Stemodia durantifolia is native to the Americas, including Chile, Mexico, Texas, and the deserts of California and Arizona, and is often found in riparian habitats, preferring wet sand and rocks. It is a perennial herb producing a hairy, glandular, erect stem 10–100 cm (3.9–39.4 in) tall, with the toothed lance-shaped leaves found in pairs or triplets, attached to the stem with clasping bases. The inflorescence is a raceme of violet flowers, with each corolla held in a calyx of hairy, pointed sepals, and can often be found in bloom year-round. Although globally at low risk of extinction, Stemodia durantifolia is imperiled in California due to its rarity and threats from development.
Trichostema micranthum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, known by the common name smallflower bluecurls.
Lepechinia rossii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Ross' pitcher sage.
McGinty Mountain is a gabbroic mountain located in San Diego County, California near Jamul. Because of the gabbroic soil, the mountain supports numerous rare and endemic plant species, including half of California's population of the Dehesa nolina. The mountain belongs to an ecological preserve collectively managed by The Nature Conservancy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. The mountain is accessible through a 4.7 mi (7.6 km) long out-and-back hiking trail.
Diplacus puniceus, commonly known as the red bush monkeyflower, San Diego monkey flower, or mission diplacus, is a species of perennial shrub native to coastal southern California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by a relatively small and broad corolla for Diplacus, a lack of glandular hairs, and dark orange or red flowers, adapted to hummingbird pollinators.
Eriodictyon sessilifolium, known by the common names Baja California yerba santa, sessile-leaved yerba santa or sessileleaf yerba santa is a perennial shrub in the Boraginaceae family, near-endemic to Baja California but also rarely found in the southern California, in a locality near Poway.
The Cerro Bola is a coastal metavolcanic mountain formation in northwestern Baja California. The Cerro Bola, along with the nearby mountain Cerro Gordo form the highest elevation areas of Tijuana Municipality. Because of its prominence, the transmitters for television station XHDTV and radio station XHPRS-FM are located on the summit of Cerro Bola, which reaches an elevation of 1,260 m (4,130 ft). It is located approximately 35 km (22 mi) south of the Tecate border crossing, and sits at the southwest end of the Valle de Las Palmas. The mountain range is host to a number of rare and endemic plant species, such as Arctostaphylos bolensis and Ceanothus bolensis.
Lepechinia hastata is a rare species of perennial shrub in the mint family commonly known as the Cape pitcher sage or Baja pitcher sage. Lepechinia hastata is an aromatic shrub characterized by large, arrowhead-shaped leaves and attractive purple to magenta flowers. In the wild, it is known from the forested mountains of the Sierra de la Laguna in Baja California Sur and the volcanic Socorro Island in the Pacific Ocean, both part of Mexico. The plants of Socorro Island are their own subspecies, and differ in their white flowers and wooly, grayer foliage.
Convolvulus simulans is a species of annual plant in the morning glory family known as the small-flowered morning-glory and small-flowered bindweed. It is an inconspicuous vining plant that is characterized by tiny pale pink or pale blue bell-shaped flowers. It is typically restricted to clay and serpentine substrates in annual grassland, coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats. This species is native to Arizona, California, and Baja California. Some taxonomies place this species under Convolvulus equitans.
Stachys stebbinsii is a species of perennial herb in the mint family commonly known as Stebbins' hedgenettle. This plant is characterized by a musky aroma, flowers with large lower lips, and glandular hairs that densely cover the stems. S. stebbinsii is native to California and northwestern Baja California. It is usually found growing in moist places in a wide variety of habitats including disturbed areas, chaparral, coastal sage scrub and mountains.
Dianthera incerta is a species of perennial herb in the Acanthus family commonly known as the Cape tube-tongue or chuparrosa. D. incerta is characterized by solitary, pink, two-lipped tubular flowers up to 27 mm (1.1 in) long that emerge from the leaf axils. It is endemic to the Cape region of Baja California Sur, and was formerly placed within Justicia. It is most similar to other species formerly placed in Siphonoglossa, such as Dianthera sessilis of the West Indies and South America.