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Coyote Mint
Monardella villosa
  
About Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) 69 Nurseries Carry This Plant Coyote Mint is a spreading subshrub distinguished by its fragrant mint-scented foliage and delicate lavender flowers. During the summer blooming season, the flowers are attractive to bees and especially butterflies. The 'Russian River' cultivar is a popular nursery selection.

Coyote mint does best in well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant, but bloom and foliage quality improve with some summer irrigation, particularly inland. Light pruning helps maintain a neat appearance.

In traditional medicine, the leaves are made into a tea that treats upset stomach and other ailments.
Monardella villosa ssp. franciscana 'Russian River', Coyote Mint, Shrub, [Monardella franciscana]. (n.d.). Www.smgrowers.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=4554 Bornstein, C., Fross, D., & O’Brien, B. (2005). California Native Plants for the Garden. ‌ ‌
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
2 ft tall
3 ft wide

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Pink, Lavender

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Primarily butterflies for nectar

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 7 confirmed , 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use along paths or in front of larger shrubs where their fragrance can be appreciated and butterflies can be observed. Use with other low-growing perennials, annuals, native grasses, or succulents including: Chinese Houses (Colllinsia heterophylla), Monkeyflower (Mimulus sp.), Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Yellow-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium californicum), groundcover Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos sp.), low-growing Buckwheats (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens or umbellatum), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), and Dudleya spp.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Rocky slopes, temporary drainages, openings in chaparral or woodlands

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 7.0" - 81.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 2.21", Coldest Month: 26.4" - 53.4", Hottest Month: 51.3" - 82.9", Humidity: 0.08" - 34.31", Elevation: -40" - 9431"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Monardella antonina


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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