Dig Into Plants: Mountain Mint


Mountain Mint

Other Common Names: Hoary Mountainmint

Scientific Name: Pycnanthemum incanum

Native to Alabama: Yes
 
Blue False Indigo
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Stephanie Brundage
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 Learn more about...
 
Basic Information
Classification Button
Maintenance
Adaptations Button
Plant ID
Life Cycle
 


 
Basic Plant Information
 
Blue False Indigo
  • 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
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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)
 
   
           
 

   
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.
 

  
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
 

   
  
Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
 
LEAF DESCRIPTION
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center - R.W. Smith
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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

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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
 
 

 


 
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
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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
       



  






 

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Logo
 
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Logo
Alabama Plant Atlas Logo
 
Alabama Butterfly Atlas Logo
.