Trichostema austromontanum F.H.Lewis ex K.S.McClell. & Weakley

Common Name and Taxonomy

Trichostema austromontanum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, commonly called San Jacinto bluecurls.

Species Distribution

It is native to California, where it grows from the mountains east of the Sierra Nevada to the Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges, and its range extends south into Baja California.

Habitat

This species grows in wet mountain meadows and on lake shores.

Plant Growth Form and Foliage

It is an annual herb that reaches a maximum height of close to half a meter, and its aromatic foliage is covered in both glandular and nonglandular hairs.

Leaf Characteristics

Its leaves are elongated or lance-shaped, and measure 2 to 5 centimeters long.

Inflorescence Structure

Its inflorescence is made up of a series of flower clusters that grow at each leaf pair.

Flower Morphology

Each flower has a hairy calyx of pointed sepals and a tubular, lipped purple corolla, with four long, curved stamens.

Subspecies Classification

There are two subspecies of Trichostema austromontanum.

Rare Subspecies Distribution

The rarer subspecies, ssp. compactum, commonly called Hidden Lake bluecurls, is only known from a single location at Hidden Lake, a small seasonal alpine lake in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County, California.

Subspecies Conservation Status

This subspecies is a federally listed threatened species in the United States.

Primary Threat to Rare Subspecies

The main threat to its survival is trampling by hikers and sightseers.