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Trichostema lanceolatum
Also called Vinegar Weed, Vinegar Bluecurls
Vinegarweed is a native annual wildflower of the mint family from western North America, valued as a pollen source for native bees. It is grown mainly in wildflower and native-plant gardens, and it sprouts from seed each year.
Trichostema lanceolatum, with the common names vinegarweed and camphor weed, is an annual flowering herb of the mint family native to western North America.
The common name 'vinegarweed' originated due to its foliage containing volatile oils that have a strong vinegar odor. The oils have phytotoxic properties, which help the plant compete by killing or injuring other plant species.
The plant is native to the Western United States from the Pacific Coast Ranges in Washington and Oregon, through California, and to northern Baja California state in México. It is found from above sea level to 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) in elevation.
The plant is an important a pollen source for native bees and other insects. When a pollinating insect alights on the lower lobes of the corolla, and inserts its mouth parts into the nectar-containing lower section of the same tube, the narrow corolla portion above is straightened and snaps rapidly downward brushing pollen onto the insect's back.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Trichostema lanceolatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
