Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Mentha ×piperita var. piperita
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Mentha at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Mentha ×piperita [aquatica × spicata]
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Mentha ×piperita
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-32-007:
Mentha piperita FAMILY Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Mentha piperita
COMMON NAME:
Peppermint
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA Forest Service / A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia. 1969 mpa_page_173
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_mecr6_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_mepi_002_lvd
)
Terry Holdsclaw tdh_m_x_piperita_piperita
July Currituck County NC
Flowers in thick compact spikes. Lvs smooth, lanceolate, w 1/8-1/4" petioles, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Mentha ×piperita var. piperita
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Mentha ×piperita [aquatica × spicata]
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Mentha ×piperita
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-32-007:
Mentha piperita
FAMILY
Lamiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Mentha piperita
2846
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Uncommon in Mountains, in NC, & in SC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
Leaves have petioles.
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Pale pink or purplish
Almost radially symmetrical
5-toothed calyx
4-lobed corolla
4 exserted stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Schizocarp of mericarps
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p220
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p143
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".