[The Genus Monardella East of
the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]
Coyote Mint, Monardella, Mountain Monardella, Western Mountain Balm
Monardella odoratissima
Synonyms: Monardella discolor, Monardella glauca, Monardella odoratissima ssp. discolor, Monardella odoratissima ssp. euodoratissima, Monardella odoratissima ssp. glauca, Monardella odoratissima ssp. odoratissima, Monardella odoratissima ssp. pallida, Monardella odoratissima ssp. pinetorum, Monardella odoratissima var. discolor, Monardella odoratissima var. glauca, Monardella odoratissima var. neglecta, Monardella odoratissima var. odoratissima, Monardella odoratissima var. ovata
Mountain monardella as seen about 5 miles west of Mission Peak, Wenatchee National Forest........July 24, 2009.
Characteristics:
Mountain monardella or coyote mint is an attractive, scented
perennial with numerous stems arising from 10-50 cm in height. The older stems
become somewhat woody below. The leaves have very short petioles and they are
arranged opposite on the stem. They are lance-like to elliptical in shape, 1-3.5
cm long and 3-12 mm wide, and have entire margins. The herbage varies from nearly
glabrous to covered with numerous gray hair
The inflorescence is a tight head of numerous slender,
pale red-purple to dirty white flowers. The inflorescence is flat-topped and
ranges from 1-4 cm wide. Distinct bracts from 7-15 mm long make up an involucre
below the head. The individual corollas measure from 1-2 cm long with subequal
lips, 3 narrow lobes making up the lower lip and two lobes the upper lip.
Coyote mint is a very nice wildflower for the rock
garden, or dry east Cascades garden. Plants are smaller and short-lived west
of the Cascades where they are susceptible to mildew. Keep other plants somewhat
distant from them to ensure better air circulation.
Subspecies of Mountain Monardella:
ssp. discolor -
ssp. odoratissima -
Habitat:
Coyote mint is found in open, rocky places from
the plains to medium elevations in the mountains.
Range:
Coyote mint is found east of the Cascade summit
in Washington and Oregon. It may be found eastward to northern Idaho and Colorado
and New Mexico, and south to southern California.
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Mountain balm blooming (left) on flower-filled slopes along Summit Drive, Umatilla National Forest.........July 24, 2012.
The photo at left shows coyote mint as seen along the Eureka Road about 2 miles north of Buckhorn Lookout in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in northeastern Oregon..........July 9, 2007.
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This series of photos shows coyote mint as seen on rocky slopes atop Pine Mountain to the south of Millican, OR, Deschutes National Forest..........July 11, 2017.
An unidentified skipper nectaring on the flowers of coyote mint as seen on steep serpentine gravel slopes along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness..........August 19, 2011.
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Coyote mints blooming along the 808A Trail on Lookout Mountain about eight-tenths of a mile above the trailhead, Ochoco National Forest..........August 10, 2014.
Coyote mint with numerous nectaring fritillaries as seen at the top of snowchute along the Round Mountain Trail #805 on the west-facing slopes of Round Mountain, Ochoco National Forest...........August 9, 2014.
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Coyote mint as seen on steep serpentine gravel slopes along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........August 1, 2011.
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Coyote mint growing on gravel bars in the middle of Dry Creek about one-half mile upstream from Wenas Creek, DNR lands in Yakima County, WA.....May 29, 2022. The photos show newly emerging leafy stems as well as a stalk tipped with old peduncles from the last year's inflorescence. These are ssp. discolor.
The photo above shows mountain monardella from the northwest face of Table Mt., Wenatchee N.F........July 25, 1996.
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These photos give a sense of what the
stem, opposite leaves and terminal inflorescence of coyote mint look like. Note also the long, narrow lobes of the corollas and the broad, leaf-like
bracts immediately below. Photographed
on steep open slopes on the lower half of the Fields Peak trail, Malheur NF..........July
15, 2003.
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Coyote mint forms fairly tight clusters of numerous upright stems.
The glaucous foliage and clusters of lavender to purplish flowers are very attractive.
Photographed at left on steep open slopes on the lower half of the Fields Peak trail,
Malheur NF..........July 15, 2003. The photo at right shows coyote mint with flower buds as seen along the Fremont National Recreation Trail #160 on the northern slopes of Twelvemile Peak, Fremont-Winema National Forest......July 16, 2022.
Paul Slichter