Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Mentha spicata

Family

Lamiaceae

Flowering season

July to October

English distribution

It is found almost everywhere but is slightly more common in

the South and Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Spear Mint

Habitat

It is an archeophyte and a hybrid between Horse Mint, Mentha

longifolia, and Round-leaved Mint, Mentha suaveolens.

It is grown in gardens for looks and smell and regularly escapes

to form naturalised populations.

In the wild it grows on moist waste ground and by paths and

roads.

Description

Spear Mint is a  rhizome-forming, perennial, pungently aromatic

herb, growing up to 90cm.

Flowers are in terminal spikes.

Individual flowers are lilac and up to 4mm.

The stamens protrude from the flower.

Leaves are lanceolate, unstalked, serrately-toothed and up to 9cm.

Stems are erect and branched.

The plants shown here are quite downy for Spear Mint.