Pycnanthemum virginianum
Native to eastern North America, this mint-family perennial reaches 2–3 feet tall with narrow gray-green leaves, blooms in midsummer with white flowers in flat-topped clusters, releases a strong minty aroma when crushed, attracts bees and other pollinators, and spreads vigorously by rhizomes in sunny, moist-to-well-drained soils.
Common Names
Virginia Mountain Mint, Mountain Mint, American Mountain Mint, Common Mountain Mint, Mountain Thyme, Prairie Hyssop
Summary
Virginia Mountain Mint is a native perennial in the mint family from eastern North America. It is erect and highly branched with square stems, reaching about 2–3 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide; leaves are narrow, toothless, gray-green, and emit a minty aroma when crushed; dense headlike clusters of small white flowers rise atop the stems, blooming July–September; rhizomes spread to form dense colonies in moist to wet habitats such as stream edges, swamps, and wet meadows on calcareous substrates.
Grows best in full sun to partial shade with moist to average-moist, well-drained soils, tolerating a range of soils from sand to clay and thriving in hardiness zones 3–7; propagation by seed or division, with seed germination requiring light, and division in spring or fall; status as a rhizomatous, low-maintenance plant makes it suitable for borders, native plant gardens, prairies/meadows, and plantings near ponds or streams, while attracting bees and butterflies.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2-3 feet
Spread
12-18 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-7
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained loamy soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Soil pH
Mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils.
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Moderate growth; spreads at a moderate pace.
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Bees: Yes, Butterflies: Yes, Other pollinators: Yes
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (L.) T.Durand & B.D.Jacks. ex B.L.Rob. & Fernald
- Publication
- Manual , ed. 7: 707 (1908)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Genus
- Pycnanthemum
Synonyms
Thymus verticillatus Koellia virginica Nepeta virginica Pycnanthemum lanceolatum Pycnanthemum lanceolatum var. latifolium Satureja virginica Satureja virginiana Thymus lanceolatus Thymus virginicus Brachystemum lanceolatum Koellia lanceolata Koellia virginiana Pycnanthemum lanceolatum var. angustifolium Pycnanthemum virginianum f. citriodora Brachystemum virginicum