Wildflowers of the United States

Glade Savory, Glade Calamint, Glade Wild Basil, Ozark Calamint - Clinopodium glabellum

Genus Common Name: Calamint

Native Status: Native

Dicot Perennial Herb

Clinopodium glabellum - Glade Savory, Glade Calamint, Glade Wild Basil, Ozark Calamint. The genus Clinopodium is in flux; depending on whether you, as many authorities do, include various other genera in the Mint family such as Satureja (Satureja glabella var. glabella is a synonym for Clinopodium glabellum, as is Calamintha glabella), Acinos, Calamintha, and more, estimates of the number of species in the genus range from 20 to around 100. The genus has member species around the globe, and even narrowly circumscribed the several species found in the United States are spread across the nation, although most species individually have relatively narrow distribution.

Clinopodium glabellum (Glade Savory) is one of those narrowly distributed species, a small plant found in limestone glades in only three states - a couple of counties in Alabama, a several counties in central Tennessee, and a few counties in northern Kentucky. Although the USDA map to the right shows it in Virginia, most authoritative sources believe those reports are due to common confusion with the very similar and much more widely distributed Clinopodium arkansanum (Arkansas Calamint). That confusion probably also explains the common name shown in the USDA Plants database - Ozark Calamint, even though the (erroneous) range shown by the USDA doesn't include any part of the Ozarks. C. arkansanum has leafy stolons while C. glabellum does not. The stem leaves of C. arkansanum are smaller than those of C. glabellum, and perhaps the easiest diagnostic between the two are that the flowering stem leaves of C. arkansanum are entire (without teeth or lobes) while those of C. glabellum have a few teeth.

Found in:
AL, KY, TN

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Distribution of Clinopodium glabellum in the United States and Canada:

Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key
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Site: Couchville Cedar Glade, Davidson County, TN Date: 2017-May-11	Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson Nikon D7000 Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
Clinopodium glabellum flowers from May through August. The flowers are in the axils of the leafy bracts, with several flowers per cluster.

Site: Couchville Cedar Glade, Davidson County, TN Date: 2017-May-11	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D7000
The flowers of Glade Savory are pale purple or pinkish. It wouldn't surprise me to find that the plant may also occasionally produce white flowers. They are more or less a half-inch long. The flower is hairy and two-lipped, with the upper lip having 2 lobes and the lower lip 3.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Site: Couchville Cedar Glade, Davidson County, TN Date: 2017-May-11	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D7000
Glade Savory is a relatively small plant, although it is reported to grow to 2 feet tall. A reference I saw reported it to be 3 to 4 inches tall, but as I recall the plants I saw were taller than this, but not approaching 2 feet.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Site: Couchville Cedar Glade, Davidson County, TN Date: 2017-May-11	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D7000
As is typical of members of the mint family, the stem of Clinopodium glabellum is square. The stem is glabrous, sometimes with hairs at the leaf nodes. The leafs are oppposite, 1 to 2 inches long, linear to elliptic or oblanceolate, and reduced in size up the plant. The margins will have several teeth, a diagnostic to differentiate from the similar Arkansas Calamint - Clinopodium arkansanum.
Click on the photo for a larger image

References used for identification and information:

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Clinopodium glabellum initially published on USWildflowers.com 2018-02-28; Updated 2018-02-28

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All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
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Code Update 20230302