Mountain Mint Other Common Names: Hoary Mountainmint Scientific Name: Pycnanthemum incanum Native to Alabama: Yes
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

  
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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 3 feet high and 3 - 4 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

 






















 
 

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Ecological Benefits
This plant provides food for:
Butterflies	Native Bees	Other Pollinators

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
Whiteleaf Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum albescens)		Short-toothed Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum muticum)		Slender Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
American Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)		Apalachian Mountainmint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum)

 

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Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Can become an aggressive grower. Weed-like growing tendencies can be controlled by pruning at the roots and dividing in early spring. To propagate by stem, take tip cuttings in June. If collecting seeds, collect after the first few frosts.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires dry soil.
Dry soil: water once per week.

 

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day) Part Sun/Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day)		Dry Soil	Well-drained or Acidic soil

 

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION				Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center - R.W. Smith Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)
Shape: Ovate	Margin: Dentate	Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple
Description:
Green with a silvery white appearance; 1.5 - 3 inches wide; when crushed, releases a fragrant spearmint smell; upper leaves are whitish silver; stems are square and covered with short white hairs

     

FLOWER DESCRIPTION							Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center  Stefan Bloodsworth Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
Color: White/Lavender			Shape: Tubular			Bloom Months: June - Aug
Description:
Appear in clusters of small, 2-lipped, lobed flowers; white or lavender with small purple spots; silvery bracts (modified leaves) located below the flower

 

SEED DESCRIPTION
Type: Fruit - Capsule	Description: Very small, black capsules	Months in Seed: Sep - Oct
Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/Tubers/Roots & Shoots  Self-seeds easily and roots by stems; can become an aggressive grower

 

 

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Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

 

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

 

Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)		QR Code (Links to this Webpage)
Plant ID Sign (Text Only): Ready as-is PDF		Plant ID Sign (Text Only): Editable Word Doc
Plant ID Sign (With Picture): Ready as-is PDF		Plant ID Sign (With Picture): Editable Word Doc

  






 

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INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT


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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
North Carolina Entension Gardener Plant Toolbox		Missouri Botanical Garden

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