Trichostema ovatum

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Trichostema ovatum
Trichostema ovatum Game.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Trichostema
Species:
T. ovatum
Binomial name
Trichostema ovatum

Trichostema ovatum is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Joaquin bluecurls. [2]

Contents

Distribution

It is endemic to the San Joaquin Valley of California, where it occurs in grassland habitat, as well as disturbed and alkali soils, such as chenopod scrub.

Description

Trichostema ovatum is an annual herb approaching 80 centimeters in maximum height, its aromatic herbage coated in woolly glandular and nonglandular hairs. The pointed oval leaves are 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a series of clusters of flowers located at each leaf pair. Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepals and a tubular, lipped purple corolla. The four stamens are long and curved, measuring up to 1.6 centimeters long.

The plant blooms in May through October, with peak flowering in the hot summer. [3] Adequate rainfall is necessary for germination. [3]

References

  1. "Trichostema ovatum". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  2. NRCS. "Trichostema ovatum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 Valley Flora Propagation Center Species Profile. CSU Stanislaus.