// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Mesosphaerum pectinatum say? Leaf me alone.
| Mesosphaerum pectinatum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Mesosphaerum |
| Species: | M. pectinatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Mesosphaerum pectinatum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Mesosphaerum pectinatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae commonly called comb bushmint. It is native to the tropical Americas, as well as being naturalized in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia.[1]
Description
[edit]This species is an annual or short-lived perennial herb growing 0.6–2.3 m (2 ft 0 in – 7 ft 7 in) tall, with the lower stems becoming softly woody with age.[2]
The leaves are carried on stalks 15–40 mm (0.59–1.57 in) long. The blades are ovate to narrowly ovate, 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) long and 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) wide. They are sparsely hairy on the upper surface and paler beneath, where they are usually softly white-felted. The leaf tips are blunt, the bases truncate, and the margins finely and irregularly scalloped to toothed.[2]
The inflorescence is terminal and often branched. Flowers are usually arranged in dense, horizontal, comb-like clusters, sometimes paired on a shared stalk, though looser arrangements also occur. The lower bracts resemble small leaves and become progressively smaller towards the tip; the bracteoles are narrow, bristle-like, and about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.[2]
The calyx is about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long at flowering and enlarges to 5 mm (0.20 in) in fruit, with dense hairs inside the throat. The corolla is whitish to pale mauve and approximately 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Mesosphaerum pectinatum′s native range extends from Mexico, Florida, and the West Indies in the north through Central America to Bolivia and Brazil in the south.
It is also naturalized in the Andaman Islands, Angola, north-east Argentina, Assam in India, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea, Hawaii, the Ivory Coast, Java, Kenya, Malawi, the Marianas, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Queensland in Australia, Rwanda, Samoa, South Africa, South Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[1][3] In Africa, it is long established and is often considered native.[2]
It grows in hotter, wetter environments, often on disturbed ground, where it can become especially weedy.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Mesosphaerum pectinatum (L.) Kuntze". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Codd, L. E. W., Dyer, R. A., Rycroft, H. B., de Winter, B. (1985). Flora of Southern Africa: The Republic of South Africa, Basutoland, Swaziland and South West Africa. Vol. 28. Govt. Printer. p. 117. ISBN 0621082686.
- ↑ Klopper, R. R.; Winter, P. J. D., eds. (20 March 2025). "The South African National Plant Checklist: 2025 official yearly release". South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Retrieved 21 January 2026.
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]- SANBI Biodiversity Advisor
- Flora of Zimbabwe
Data related to Mesosphaerum pectinatum at Wikispecies
- Flora of the Bahamas
- Flora of Belize
- Flora of Bolivia
- Flora of Brazil
- Flora of the Cayman Islands
- Flora of Colombia
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Flora of Cuba
- Flora of the Dominican Republic
- Flora of Ecuador
- Flora of El Salvador
- Flora of Florida
- Flora of French Guiana
- Flora of Guatemala
- Flora of Guyana
- Flora of Haiti
- Flora of Honduras
- Flora of Jamaica
- Flora of Mexico
- Flora of Nicaragua
- Flora of Panama
- Flora of Peru
- Flora of Puerto Rico
- Flora of Suriname
- Flora of Trinidad and Tobago
- Flora of Venezuela
- Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
- Lamiaceae