Desert Lavender

LAMIACEAE: Hyptis (condea) emoryi

Only a few mint family species are found in the desert, but the desert lavender, Hyptis emoryi, is one of the desert’s most common plants.

A large shrub, desert lavender grows abundantly if quietly in desert washes and alluvial plains. Its softly colored blue flowers may not attract much human attention, but they certainly do not go unnoticed by bees.