About Conradina grandiflora var. etonia (Kral & McCartney) D.B.Ward
Conradina grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, with the common names largeflower false rosemary and large-flowered rosemary. This plant is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Its distribution covers Brevard, Broward, Dade, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie, and Volusia Counties. It is an aromatic shrub, usually reaching a maximum height of around 1.5 meters, though it can grow up to two meters tall. Its branches end in twigs covered with pale hairs. Its leaves are hairy, glandular, needle-like, and grow up to 1.5 centimeters in length. Each individual flower has a hairy, maroon-tinged calyx made of pointed sepals. The flower corolla is roughly 2 centimeters long, with a funnel-shaped throat and a hairy, lipped mouth. It is lavender colored, with darker lavender spots. This species produces the largest flowers of any member of the genus Conradina, and it can flower year-round. This plant grows on dunes and other landforms with deep, sandy soils, often located near the coast. Its primary habitat is Florida scrub, and it is common in the remaining intact remnants of this scrub habitat. It is well adapted to an ecosystem with frequent fires. It cannot tolerate shade, and requires fire disturbance to maintain an open, sunny habitat. It is commonly associated with sand pine (Pinus clausa), as well as Lyonia, Ilex, Ceratiola, Polygonella, Opuntia, and various species of scrub oak. There are approximately 64 known occurrences of this species. The main threat to the species is loss of its native Florida scrub habitat, which is being cleared and converted for housing development, commercial development, and citrus groves. It holds a threatened status within the state of Florida, but it is not federally listed as threatened or endangered.
