Smallflower bluecurls facts for kids

Trichostema micranthum, also known as the smallflower bluecurls, is a pretty flowering plant. It belongs to the mint family, which is a group of plants known for their often strong, pleasant smells.

Where Smallflower Bluecurls Grow

This special plant naturally grows in certain parts of North America. You can find it in Southern California, the northwestern part of Arizona, and northern Baja California in Mexico. In California, it lives in mountain areas like the San Bernardino Mountains and San Emigdio Mountains. These mountains are part of a larger group called the Transverse Ranges.

Smallflower bluecurls like to grow in wet places. Their favorite spots include wet meadows and along the banks of rivers. These areas are called riparian habitats. You might also find them in forests where white fir trees or yellow pine trees grow. They prefer higher places, usually found between 1,500 and 2,500 meters (about 4,900 to 8,200 feet) above sea level.

What Smallflower Bluecurls Look Like

The smallflower bluecurls plant is an annual herb. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It is a small plant, usually growing less than 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) tall.

Its leaves have a nice smell and are covered in tiny hairs. Some of these hairs are glandular, meaning they can produce sticky or oily substances. The leaves are shaped like pointed ovals or spears and can be up to 4.5 centimeters long.

The flowers grow in clusters. These clusters appear where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower has a fuzzy outer layer called a calyx, which is made of pointed parts called sepals. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is purple and shaped like a tube with two lips. It is only a few millimeters long. Sometimes, the four stamens, which are the parts that hold pollen, stick out from the flower's lips.