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Hairy mountain mint

Also known as: woods mountain mint, whorled mountain mint

Pycnanthemum verticillatum (Michx.) Pers. var. pilosum (Nutt.) Cooperrider

[=Pycnanthemum pilosum Nutt. ]

Images

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Hairy mountain mint leaf
Hairy mountain mint inflorescence and flowers
Hairy mountain mint leaves
Hairy mountain mint
Hairy mountain mint stem
Hairy mountain mint flower
Hairy mountain mint
Hairy mountain mint bracts

Morphology

Stem
Erect, 4-sided, spreading soft-hairy, short-branched above.
Leaves
Opposite, sessile or lower leaves short-stalked, lanceolate or infrequently elliptic, 4/5 to 3 inches long, 1/6 to 3/5 inch wide, 4-7 pairs of lateral veins, upper surface nearly glabrous to soft-hairy, lower surface soft-hairy; margins entire or with few remote teeth, fringed with hairs; tip pointed to tapering pointed; base narrowly wedge-shaped.
Inflorescence
Head-like clusters, solitary to numerous, small, compact, 1/3 to 4/5 inch wide, woolly, terminal; bracts sub-tending flower clusters leaf-like, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 2/5 to 3/5 inch long; margins entire; tip pointed; outer bracts velvety above; inner bracts with conspicuous mid-vein, margins fringed with hairs.
Flower
Calyx tubular, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, 5-toothed, white-woolly; teeth narrowly triangular, upper 3 teeth sometimes united at base; corolla much exceeding the calyx, 1/5 to 1/3 inch long, slightly 2-lipped, white to pale lavender; lower lip purple spotted, bent downward, 3-lobed, middle lobe larger than lateral lobes; upper lip erect, entire; stamens 4, nearly equal, projecting beyond corolla.
Fruit
Nutlets, 4, egg-shaped, brown, glabrous or tip slightly pubescent, each 1-seeded.

Ecology

Habitat
Open woods, rocky slopes, outcrops, thickets, prairies, stream valleys, and along railroads.
Distribution
East 1/5 of Kansas.

Additional Notes

Comments

Hairy mountain mint attracts bees.

Synonyms

Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.

Scientific Name: Pycnanthemum pilosum

Full Citation: Pycnanthemum pilosum Nutt.

Quick Facts
Plant Type
Wildflower
Family
Lamiaceae - Mint Family
Life Span
Perennial
Height
2-4 feet
Last Updated
2008-09-11
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: July, August, September