Coyote Mint, Monardella villosa

About Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) 70 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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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

Perennial herb

Size

2 ft tall
3 ft wide

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Pink, Lavender

Flowering Season

Summer

Wildlife Supported

Primarily butterflies for nectar
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 7 confirmed

, 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Shasta Pyrausta Pyrausta perrubralisPyrausta perrubralis

California Pyrausta Moth Pyrausta californicalisPyrausta californicalis

Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Anstenoptilia marmarodactylaAnstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Pyrausta fodinalisPyrausta fodinalis

Pyrausta dapalisPyrausta dapalis

Bumblebee moth Hemaris thetisHemaris thetis

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 70

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

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

Common uses

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

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?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Rocky slopes, temporary drainages, openings in chaparral or woodlands

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

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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

Coyote Mint

Monardella villosa

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Coyote MintMonardella villosa

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Coyote Mint

Monardella villosa