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Strickland, Sam C.

Hedeoma drummondii

Hedeoma drummondii Benth.

Drummond's False Pennyroyal, Limoncillo, Mock Pennyroyal

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Synonym(s): Hedeoma campora, Hedeoma ciliata, Hedeoma drummondii var. crenulata, Hedeoma longiflora, Hedeoma ovata

USDA Symbol: hedr

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

The species name of this plant is named for Thomas Drummond, (ca. 1790-1835), naturalist, born in Scotland, around 1790. In 1830 he made a trip to America to collect specimens from the western and southern United States. In March, 1833, he arrived at Velasco, Texas to begin his collecting work in that area. He spent twenty-one months working the area between Galveston Island and the Edwards Plateau, especially along the Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe rivers. His collections were the first made in Texas that were extensively distributed among the museums and scientific institutions of the world. He collected 750 species of plants and 150 specimens of birds. Drummond had hoped to make a complete botanical survey of Texas, but he died in Havana, Cuba, in 1835, while making a collecting tour of that island.

From the Image Gallery

12 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 1 foot tall.
Fruit: Nutlets.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , KS , MN , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , TX , UT , WY
Native Habitat: Across Texas on rocky, limestone embankments and flats. Well-drained loam, caliche, limestone.

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Conditions Comments: The crushed citrus-smelling leaves of this plant explain the origin of the common names limoncillo and mock pennyroyal. The common name of Limoncillo is applied to several lemmon scented plants.

Benefit

Use Food: Drummond false pennyroyal smells and tastes like peppermint and is served as such in Mexico. Other Hedeomas are used as medicines, teas, and meat flavorings in Mexico and South America, and are sold as "oregano."
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Deer Resistant: High

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0119 Collected June 7, 1991 in Bexar County by Lottie Millsaps
NPSOT 0395 Collected May 29, 1993 in Comal County by Mary Beth White
NPSOT 0531 Collected Jul 27, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

3 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-DEM-2 Collected 2009-06-06 in Burnet County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Hedeoma drummondii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Hedeoma drummondii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Hedeoma drummondii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-13
Research By: TWC Staff

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