About Monardella stoneana Elvin & A.C.Sanders
Monardella stoneana is a rare species of plant that grows as a low, compact subshrub with strongly aromatic foliage. Its hairless or sparsely hairy stems can spread to reach between 50 and 60 centimeters in length. Stems are lined with lance-shaped leaves; the leaf blades are green or purple-tinged, and reach a maximum size of 3.5 centimeters long by 1 centimeter wide. The inflorescence is a terminal cluster of flowers, or a raceme made up of two or more flower clusters, with lance-shaped bracts at the base of the structure. The flowers have tubular corollas that are colored pale pink or bluish, and long stamens emerge from the center of each flower. This plant is found across a small range that crosses the US-Mexico border, occurring between San Diego County, California, and Baja California. In California, it is only found in the San Ysidro Mountains, where it grows in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and other local habitat types. It grows in cracks and crevices in rock, and can sometimes be found growing in intermittent streams that flood during winter rains.
