San Joaquin Bluecurls (Trichostema ovatum)

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Trichostema ovatum

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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]

Distribution

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b Valley Flora Propagation Center Species Profile. CSU Stanislaus.
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