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Clinopodium ashei facts for kids

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Clinopodium ashei
Calamintha ashei.jpg
Conservation status

Vulnerable (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Genus:
Clinopodium
Species:
ashei
Synonyms
  • Calamintha ashei

Clinopodium ashei is a special kind of flowering plant. It is also known as Ashe's savory or Ashe's calamint. This plant belongs to the mint family.

You can find this plant growing naturally in Florida and Georgia in the United States.

What it Looks Like

This plant is a bushy shrub. It can grow up to about half a meter tall. That's about the height of a small dog! It also smells nice.

Its stems have bark that cracks and peels off. The newer, younger branches have soft, fine hairs. The leaves are long and narrow, or shaped like a thin oval. They are about one centimeter long. The leaves are also hairy and have tiny glands.

The flowers are whitish to light purple. They are about one centimeter long. These flowers bloom between January and April.

Where it Grows

Ashe's savory likes to grow in open areas. You can often find it in Florida scrub habitats. It also grows on sand dunes near the Ohoopee River. Sometimes, you can even spot it along roadsides.

This plant is quite rare overall. However, in some places, you might find many of them growing together. There are about 60 to 80 known spots where this plant lives.

A Special Friend

Clinopodium ashei is very important to one specific bee. It is the only known source of pollen for the Osmia calaminthae bee. This bee is also called the blue calamintha bee. This means the bee relies completely on this plant for its food!

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