Horticulture/Pycnanthemum

Mountain mints Pycnanthemum muticum spend seed heads 001.JPG Pycnanthemum Lamiaceae Herbaceous perennials Rare Rare Summer through early autumn. Agressive spreader Insects By stolons 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 Anna Anisko, illustrator The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual 2000 Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania Press 478-480 Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants 1997 DK Publishing 850 Staff of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada 1976 Cornell University Press 929-930