Taxon Report

Monardella beneolens Shevock, B. Ertter & Jokerst

sweet-smelling monardella

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Monardella beneolens, commonly known as sweet-smelling monardella, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Lamiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 2475 to 3500 meters. Monardella beneolens is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Monardella beneolens Shevock, B. Ertter & Jokerst
Common Name:	sweet-smelling monardella
Family:	Lamiaceae
Element Code:	PDLAM180U0
USDA Plants Symbol:	MOBE5
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Sep	Jun-Sep
Elevation:	2475-3500 (8120-11485)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	6
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	4

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Kern (KRN), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bartlett (3611841), Cirque Peak (3611842), Haiwee Pass (3611821), Mount Whitney (3611853), Olancha (3611831), Owens Peak (3511768)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	50 %
Other	2	33%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	16%

Notes



Known only from the eastern Sierran crest. Remoteness of occurrences limits disturbance. Hybridizes with M. linoides ssp. linoides and M. odoratissima ssp. pallida. See Madroño 36(4):271-279 (1989) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 October 2025].