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.
ssp. discolor -
ssp. odoratissima -
Coyote mint is found in open, rocky places from the plains to medium elevations in the mountains.
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.
