Duration: Perennial
Nativity: Native
Lifeform: Forb/Herb
General: Perennial herb, 10-30 cm tall, from a woody caudex; stems widely branching, squareish in cross section, finely pubescent with recurved hairs.
Leaves: Opposite and sessile or nearly so; blades linear to narrowly elliptic-oblong or ovate, 1-2 cm long and 1-4 mm wide, with entire margins; surfaces covered with punctate glands and recurved hairs.
Flowers: Light purple, with 1-6 flowers in most leaf axils, each flower on its own short 2-3 mm stalk emerging directly from the leaf axil; calyx tube 5-7 mm long, gibbous (swollen) near base, narrowing toward the tip, topped with 5 narrow teeth which converge to close the orifice of the tube after flowering; corolla 5-12 mm long, 2-lipped, rose-pink to blue-lavender.
Fruits: Nutlets 4, smooth and oblong, 1-2 mm long
Ecology: Found in rocky, gravelly soils of dry slopes, including limestone, from 3,500-7,500 ft (1067-2286 m); flowers April-September.
Distribution: Most of western US, from MN to AL, west to OR; south to c MEX.
Notes: This species often has a pleasant mint scent. Distinguished from other regional Hedeoma by the shape of the calyx tube, which is swollen at the base, narrows substantially toward the top, and tipped with 5 narrow teeth which converge to nearly close the tube when in fruit; also note the minty scent (as opposed to camphor or lemon); and the narrowly elliptic leaves. H. nana also has a calyx tube that is swollen at the base, but it does not narrow substantially toward the top and the teeth are clearly bilabiate when in fruit, with 3 teeth pointing one direction and 2 teeth pointing another direction, not converging to close the top of the calyx.
Ethnobotany: Used as an analgesic; taken for influenza; and the leaves used to flavor soup.
Etymology: Hedeoma is from the Greek hedus, sweet, and osme, odor, an ancient name for a strongly aromatic mint; drummondii is named for Thomas Drummond (1790-1835), a Scottish naturalist.
Synonyms: Hedemoma campora, H. ciliata, H. drummondii var. crenulata, H. longiflora, H. ovata
Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015, AHazelton 2017
