Search / Plant Profile / Monardella viminea

Plant Profile

Willowy Monardella (Monardella viminea)

Photo Credit: Keir Morse

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Lamiaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 872185
Lifeform: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

The willowy Monardella is a species of perennial flowering plant in the mint family that is endemic to the coastal sage scrub habitats of San Diego County in southern California. Late blooming, this plant grows about one to two inches tall and bears the fragrance of mint. This plant is characterized by its pink flowers that provide nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as its slender, willowy evergreen leaves that become dormant once it becomes too dry. This plant is both federally and locally listed as an Endangered species, as well as a Critically Imperiled species by the California Native Plant Society. It is significantly threatened by urbanization, hydrological alterations, road improvements, vehicles, and invasive species of plants (CNPS 2016).

Where is Willowy Monardella (Monardella viminea) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Monadrella viminea occurs in alluvial ephemeral washes; Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Riparian Forest, Riparian Scrub, and Riparian Woodland at elevations between 150 and 885 ft (CNPS 2018).

Distribution:

Monardella viminea is restricted to coastal rocky drainages in San Diego County, California. Only eight occurrences remain (NatureServe 2018).

States & Provinces:

Willowy Monardella can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Willowy Monardella (Monardella viminea)?

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, San Diego Zoo Global holds 4 accessions of Monardella viminea in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 61823 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden holds 1 accessions of Monardella viminea in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 65 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, San Diego Zoo Global has collected 4 seed accessions of Monardella viminea from 4 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass 202 maternal plants