About Clinopodium ashei (Weath.) Small
Clinopodium ashei (synonym Calamintha ashei) is a flowering plant species in the mint family, commonly called Ashe's savory and Ashe's calamint. It is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States. This bushy shrub grows to around half a meter in height and is aromatic. Its stems have cracking, peeling bark, while newer twigs are covered in downy hairs. Its leaves are linear to narrowly oval, up to one centimeter long, and both hairy and glandular. The flower has a hairy, lipped corolla about one centimeter long, not counting its tubular throat, and ranges in color from whitish to pale lavender. It blooms between January and April. This plant grows in openings within Florida scrub vegetation, on sand dunes along the Ohoopee River, and can also be found in disturbed habitats such as roadsides. It is likely allelopathic, meaning it produces chemicals that inhibit the growth of other nearby plants. There are 60 to 80 known occurrences of the plant overall; it is uncommon across its range, but can be common in local areas. It is the primary pollen source for the rare blue calamintha bee, Osmia calaminthae.
