PLANT: Aromatic shrub to 3 m tall, canescent.

LEAVES: 0.7-2.4( 4.6) cm long, 0.5-1.5( 3.5) cm wide; petioles 0.2-0.8( 1.5) cm long; margins crenate; abaxial surface rugose, the lateral veins arching towards leaf apex, the tertiary veins reticulate between lateral veins.

INFLORESCENCE: sometimes congested into spikes; peduncles absent or to 1 cm long; cymes 1 2 cm wide.

FLOWER: pedicels 1 3 mm long; calyx 1.5 5 mm long, canescent, persistent; corolla 4 6( 8) mm long, whitish towards center; filaments white, pilose; anthers purple; style purple, exserted after being released from saccate corolla lobe.

NUTLETS: oblong, 1.5 2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, brown at maturity.

NOTES: Desert washes and hillsides: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Yavapai cos.; 200 1150 m (600 3800 ft); all year; CA, NV; nw Mex.

REFERENCES: Walters, Gretchen M. 2003. Lamiaceae J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 35(2).

Common Name: desert lavender

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Shrub

General: Aromatic shrub to 3 m tall, canescent.

Leaves: Leaves 0.7-2.4 cm long by 0.5-1.5 cm wide, on petioles 0.2-0.8 cm long, crenate margins, abaxial surface rugose, the lateral veins arching towards the leaf apex, the tertiary veins reticulate between the lateral veins.

Flowers: Sometimes congested in spikes, peduncles absent or to 1 cm long, generally cymes 1-2 cm wide; flowers on pedicels 1-3 mm long, calyx 1.5-5 mm long, canescent, persistent, corolla 4-6 mm long, whitish toward center, filaments white, pilose; anthers purple; style purple, exserted after being released from saccate corolla lobe.

Fruits: Oblong nutlets, 1.5-2 mm long, about 1 mm wide, brown at maturity.

Ecology: Found in desert washes and on hillsides from 500-4,000 ft (152-1219 m); flowers year-round.

Notes: The telling characters of this species are the shrubby habit, the dendritic hairs, the gray-green cast of the leaves, and the lavender-like aroma.

Ethnobotany: An infusion of the blossoms and leaves taken for hemorrhages, while there is some suggestion that this species inhibits tumors.

Etymology: Hyptis is from the Greek huptios for turned back, which refers to the lower lip position of the flowers, while emoryi is named for Maj. William Hemsley Emory (1811-1887) a member of the Mexican Boundary Survey.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010