Hedeoma dentata

Wiggins 1964, Irving 1980

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Small, herbaceous plants with a woody base, to 0.5 m, having numerous, ascending branches, pilose to glabrous, internodes 5-30 mm long. Leaves: Elliptic to rhomboid, 10-25 mm long and 9 mm wide, bases cuneate and tapering to the petiole, with 2-5 sharply dentate teeth per side, thin and scabrous with short hairs, with numerous punctate glands. Flowers: Purple or blue flowers borne in several-flowered inflorescences, calyx tube 4-5 mm long, with a ring of white hairs at the apex, calyx tube slender with linear to awl-shaped teeth, teeth with ciliate margins, corollas 6-7 mm long, slightly bilabiate, the upper lip shorter than the lower lip, stamens as long as the upper lip, anthers deep purple or reddish. Fruits: Nutlets pale-brown, to 1 mm long. Ecology: Found in rock crevices, steep rocky slopes, and near washes from 5,000-8,000 ft (15242438 m); flowering April-October. Ethnobotany: There is no specific use recorded for this species, but the genus was used as an infusion to treat colds and loss of hunger due to sickness. Synonyms: None Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011 Etymology: Hedeoma comes from the Greek hedus, "sweet," and osme, "odor," an ancient name for a strongly aromatic mint, while dentata means toothed like a saw .