Native Plants at CSU Dominguez Hills

California wood mint (Stachys bullata) can be seen at Mother Nature's Backyard garden (above) and
at the Garden of Dreams (CSU Dominguez Hills)

One of the plants that’s blooming right now in the Garden of Dreams is the California woodmint, Stachys bullata.  This isn’t its peak season, but the flowers keep our hummingbirds and the few remaining butterflies happy.

California wood mint is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), a large family that includes culinary mints and the Salvias.   Plants in this family often have aromatic foliage and are used for cooking and potpourri.  Within the Mint Family, the wood mints (hedge nettles), genus Stachys, make up one of the larger genera.  Stachys species can be found on most continents and many are used in traditional herbal medicine.

For more on this interesting plant see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/11/plant-of-month-december-california-wood.html