About Aloysia wrightii A.Heller
Aloysia wrightii A.Heller is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, commonly known as Wright's beebrush and oreganillo. It is native to the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in moist desert canyons, scrub, and woodland habitats. This thickly branching shrub has a generally rounded form and reaches a maximum height of nearly two meters. It bears small, oval to nearly round leaves that are no more than two centimeters long; the leaves have lightly toothed edges and hairy undersides. Its inflorescence is a narrow, woolly spike that grows up to 6 centimeters long, holding small, widely spaced white flowers. The plant is a valuable nectar source for native solitary bees, and it also serves as a food source for both the larval and adult life stages of the rustic sphinx moth, Manduca rustica.
