Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Monardella australis is a perennial herb growing in a small tuft and producing long, sometimes erect flowering stems. The pale green or grayish leaves are oval or lance-shaped and often toothed.

The plant is endemic to southern California, in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is known only from populations in the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains of the eastern Transverse Ranges, and the adjacent San Jacinto Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. Its habitats include the red fir forest and yellow pine forest on the higher slopes of the ranges.

A great butterfly plant for a rock garden or other small space. Inland, protect from afternoon sun. Both leaves and flowers are fragrant. Distasteful to deer.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

1 - 12 in Tall

Growth rate

Fast

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

Lavender, Purple

Flowering season

Summer, Fall

Special uses

Lawn alternative

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low

Ease of care

Moderate

Soil drainage

Fast

Soil description

Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil.

Site type

Rocky openings in montane and subalpine forests

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Sagebrush Scrub, Subalpine Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Hummingbirds
Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Anstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana

California Pyrausta Moth

Pyrausta californicalis