Minnesota Wildflowers


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Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia Mountain Mint)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Pycnanthemum
Family:Lamiaceae (Mint)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; fields, prairies, thickets
Bloom season:July - September
Plant height:1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: irregular tubular flat

[photo of flowers] Flowers are densely packed in flat clusters about 1 inch across at the top of the plant, and at the end of stems branching from the leaf axils near the top of the plant. Only a few flowers in a cluster are in bloom at one time. Individual flowers are about ¼ inch across and tubular with 2 lips. The upper lip has 2 lobes, but may look like 1. The lower lip has 3 lobes all about the same size. Color is white with purple spots. Inside the tube are 4 stamens with white tips that turn brown with age; the outside of the tube is covered in fine hairs.

Leaves and stem: opposite simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are up to 2½ inches long and ½ inch wide, toothless and hairless, tapering to a pointed tip, with a slightly rounded base and no leaf stem. Attachment is opposite, The main stem is square with short hairs all along the angles; color is green or reddish.

Fruit:

[photo of fruit] Each flower produces 4 1-seeded nutlets.

Notes:

Virginia Mountain Mint can spread vegetatively so may form small colonies. The leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. Mature plants may have many branches and take on a bushy appearance. There is a similar species, Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint, that has a hairless stem and leaves not more than ¼ inch wide.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
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  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, Rice Creek Trail Corridor and Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN July 2007 and July-September 2008

Comments

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