Pogogyne | |
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San Diego mesa mint (P. abramsii) at the vernal pools of San Diego National Wildlife Refuge | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Subfamily: | Nepetoideae |
Tribe: | Mentheae |
Genus: | Pogogyne Benth. |
Synonyms[1] | |
Hedeomoides Briq. |
Pogogyne is a small genus of flowering plants in the mint family known generally as mesamints or mesa mints. They are native to Oregon, Idaho, California, and Baja California.[1][2][3]
These are small annual plants with glandular, aromatic foliage. They are somewhat variable in appearance but are mostly minty-scented herbs with leaves and flower inflorescences bordered with stiff hairs. The flowers are white or a shade of purple or pinkish-lavender. The best known species is the critically endangered vernal pool species San Diego mesa mint, P. abramsii, which is now found only in a few isolated patches of ground near San Diego, California.[4]