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.