San Benito thornmint facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Benito thornmint
Heartleaf thorn-mint, a subspecies of Acanthomintha obovata
Scientific classification
Genus:	Acanthomintha
Species:	obovata

The Acanthomintha obovata, also known as the San Benito thornmint, is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the mint family, which means it's related to plants like peppermint and spearmint. This plant is found only in California, making it an endemic species.

You can find the San Benito thornmint growing in the forests and chaparral areas of California's central coastal mountains. It's a unique part of the natural plant life there!

What Does the San Benito Thornmint Look Like?

The San Benito thornmint is a small plant that lives for only one year. It's an annual herb. It usually grows to be about 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) tall. That's roughly the length of a standard ruler!

Leaves and Spines

Its leaves are small, about one centimeter long, and shaped like an oval. They have tiny teeth along their edges. The leaves found higher up on the plant are a bit spiny, especially along their edges.

Flowers and Bracts

The flowers of the San Benito thornmint are quite interesting. They are wrapped in shiny, light-colored leaves called bracts. These bracts have long, spiny edges, which give the plant its "thornmint" name.

The flowers themselves are white with purple tips. They can grow up to almost 3 centimeters long. If you look closely, you'll see they are covered in tiny, sticky hairs called glandular hairs. The flower petals are also folded over at their tips, almost like lips.

Where Does it Grow?

This plant prefers to grow in specific types of soil. It often thrives in clay soils, especially those found in grasslands. These soils are sometimes called "vertic" clay soils.