WOOLLY BLUE CURLS

• Common Name(s): Woolly Blue Curls
• Scientific Name: Trichostema lanatum
• Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
• Plant Type: perennial
• Size: shrub, 2 to 5 feet high and 4 to 8 feet wide
• Common Habitat: chaparral or coastal sage scrub

One of my personal favorites, Woolly Blue Curls' floral display is both visually stunning and soft to the touch. Interesting-looking purple flowers form alternately on the ends of its stalks. Tiny white hairs cover the various parts of this plant and clearly contribute to its naming, including its scientific names: Trichostema means having hair-like stamens, and lanatum means woolly.

Woolly Blue Curls blooms from March to August. The color of the flowers ranges from deep purple, through blues and pinks to off-white. Look at the blooms close-up and you will see the variation in coloring in the different flower parts.

Hummingbirds and bumblebees feast on the pollen. The shiny, aromatic, narrow green leaves are a welcome sight in the browning landscape of Southern California summers.