Pycnanthemum

Pycnanthemum

Mountain mints
Genus:	Pycnanthemum
Family:	Lamiaceae
Type:	Herbaceous perennials
Pest issues:	Rare
Disease issues:	Rare
Bloom season:	Summer through early autumn.
Weediness:	Agressive spreader
Pollination:	Insects
Vegetative Spread:	By stolons
Toxicity and edibility:	Edible

Pycnanthemum, or Mountain Mint, is a genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Most species are very strongly scented and pungent, and are used in cooking and in making herbal tea. All plants in this genus are native to North America.

Description

Spreading perennial herbs with opposite leaves, square stems, and head-like inflorescences and stems that are square in cross-section. Individual flowers are small and white.

Growing conditions

Well drained soils, full sun to medium shade.

Species

• P. albescens
• P. beadlei
• P. californicum
• P. clinopodioides
• P. curvipes
• P. flexuosum
• P. floridanum
• P. incanum
• P. loomisii
• P. monotrichum
• P. montanum
• P. muticum
• P. nudum
• P. pycnanthemoides
• P. setosum
• P. tenuifolium
• P. torrei
• P. verticillatum
• P. virginianum

Uses

Grown as a culinary herb, but also as a very high quality nectar source for bees and beneficial insects.

Maintenance

Keep under control by digging out the spreading parts in early spring.

Propagation

Division.

Harvesting

Cut stems at the base, keep leaves on the stem until ready to use.

Pests and diseases

Rusts

References

• Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block (2000). The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. Anna Anisko, illustrator. Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 478–480. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (1997). The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. DK Publishing. p. 850. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Staff of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. pp. 929–930. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)