Mountain mints are widespread throughout the Eastern Woodlands, from tropical species in the southern tip of Florida, to hardy northern species that range up to Quebec and Newfoundland. Sadly, several of them, especially in the coal-mining regions of the Appalachians, are now extinct. There are actually over a dozen species in the Pycnanthemum genus, all of which look very similar and have identical medicinal qualities. However, keep in mind that like other members of the mint family, it’s advisable for pregnant women to steer clear of it, as it can cause miscarriages in rare cases. These two characteristics make mountain mint easy to identify, and it has no deadly or toxic mimics. When crushed, they emit a strong herbal smell, like a mix between common mint and Vicks Vaporub, Gold Bond, or anything else with menthol or camphor. However, these hairs disappear when the leaves are wet, so keep that in mind. Mountain mint has two primary identifying characteristics: One is that its leaves, especially around the flower clusters, are covered with fine white hairs that look almost like dust or frost… hence its alternate name Hoary Mountain-Mint. Those leaves are 1”-3” long, deeply veined, and look very similar to basil, another member of the mint family. It is a large, spreading plant - in late spring, new growth shoots up 3’-4’ tall and about as wide, topped by pretty whitish-purple compound flowers 1”-3” across swathed with a rosette of leaves. Mountain mint is an evergreen herbaceous perennial – it does qualify as a winter wild edible, as the basal leaves coming out of the ground stay green throughout the winter. But knowing what Pycnanthemum’s closest cousins are does help give us an idea of what its edible and medicinal qualities are. ![]() To those of y’all who aren’t taxonomy nerds like me, this is not terribly important. However, it is not a true mint ( Mentha), and is actually more closely related to another valuable medicinal plant in the mint family we haven’t talked about yet - Bee Balm (Monarda). Every native tribe in its range has a strong medicinal tradition of using Mountain Mint and it soon wove itself into the plant medicine traditions of Southern Appalachian pioneers as well, where it continues to be used to this day.Īlso known as Hoary Mountain-Mint, Horse Mint, or Wild Mint, this plant is (obviously) a member of the large and diverse mint family (Lamiaceae). This is a powerhouse of a plant that’s one of the “universal medicinals” – it’s one of the few plants that’s at least somewhat useful for nearly every illness or ailment… even, as we’ll see, allegedly raising the dead. Today’s plant for #WildEdibleWednesday is Pycnanthemum incanum, or Mountain Mint. If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at or 1-88.Author’s Note: This post was originally published on the SARCRAFT Blog on. This fragrant chemical is also present in pennyroyal and helps protect these mint plants from foliage feeders.įor more information, see HGIC 1727, Pollinator Gardening, and HGIC 1153, Growing Perennials. The highly aromatic foliage contains pulegone, which has a minty but medicinal fragrance. Plants grow to 2 – 3 feet tall with the flower heads held at the top. They spread by rhizomes to make a colony and may become invasive, but their spread rate can be restricted by keeping the soil more dry. Although they grow best in soils that are somewhat moist, they are very drought-tolerant plants once established. Mountain mints grow well in sunny to partly sunny sites with well-drained soils. These bracts provide a visual aid to the multitude of pollinating insects in discovering the small, nectar-rich flower clusters. ![]() The blooms of mountain mints are dense clusters of small white to lavender, tubular flowers held above whitish, modified leaves called bracts. Joey Williamson, ©2020 HGIIC, Clemson Extension The bracts below the showy white flower heads may be green or, at most, only slightly white. Narrow-leaf Mountain Mint ( Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) has leaves that are narrower than those on the other species.
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