Turpentine weed facts for kids

Trichostema laxum, also known as turpentine weed, is a type of flowering plant in the mint family. It gets its common name from the strong smell of its leaves, which reminds people of turpentine. This plant lives for about one year.

Where Turpentine Weed Grows

This plant grows naturally in northern California and Oregon. You can find it in places lower than 1,700 meters (about 5,577 feet) above sea level. It is mostly found in the Inner Northern California Coast Ranges. This includes specific mountain ranges like the Klamath Mountains and the Mayacamas Mountains.

Turpentine weed likes to grow in rocky riverbanks or sandy soil. It thrives in dry shrublands called chaparral, as well as in oak forests and pine forests. This plant especially likes a special type of soil called serpentine soil.

What Turpentine Weed Looks Like

Trichostema laxum is a small plant that grows up to about 5 decimetres (1.6 ft) (50 centimeters or nearly 20 inches) tall.

Its leaves have a very strong smell, like turpentine. The plant is covered in tiny hairs. Some of these hairs produce a sticky substance. The leaves are long and narrow, shaped like a spearhead. They can be up to 7 centimeters (about 2.7 inches) long.

The flowers grow in groups where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower has a hairy green or reddish cup-like structure at its base, called a calyx. The purple flower petals, called a corolla, form a tube with a lip. The four stamens are long and curved. They can measure up to 1.6 centimeters (about 0.6 inches) in length.

This plant blooms from June to October.