Minnesota Wildflowers


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Hedeoma hispida (Rough False Pennyroyal)

Plant Info
Also known as: Mock Pennyroyal
Genus:Hedeoma
Family:Lamiaceae (Mint)
Life cycle:annual
Origin:native
Habitat:sun; dry sandy soil, prairies, along roads, waste areas
Bloom season:May - August
Plant height:3 to 16 inches
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: irregular tubular whorled

[photo of flowers] Flowers are in whorls around the leaf axils in groups of 2 to 12, often with a distinct space between whorls. Individual flowers are blue to purple, about ¼ inch long, tubular with a notched upper lip and 3-lobed lower lip. The green tubular base (calyx) surrounding the flower tube is distincly ribbed and hairy, with sharply pointed teeth.

Leaves and stem: opposite simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are narrow, about ¾ inch long and not more than 1/8 inch wide, toothless, hairy to varying degrees, with a blunt point at the tip and no leaf stem. Like all members of the Mint family, attachment is opposite and the main stem is square. The main stem is covered in short hairs and the plant may branch near the base.

Notes:

Rough False Pennyroyal is a small plant with tiny flowers that can easily be overlooked. I have most often found it growing in prairie areas on the sandy mounds left by pocket gophers.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Wild River State Park, Center City, MN June 2008

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Todd A in Waseca
on: 2009-08-04 21:14:29

This is growing fairly pervasively throughout my horses' dry lot, and I was concerned that it may be toxic, so I've been trying to find out what it is. Sure enough, it's Rough False Pennyroyal. Makes a nice groundcover ;)

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