Pycnanthemum virginianum
(L.) T.Durand & B.D.Jacks. ex B.L.Rob. & Fernald
Lamiaceae
Brachystemum lanceolatum Willd.
Brachystemum virginicum (L.) Michx.
Koellia lanceolata (Willd.) Kuntze
Koellia virginiana (L.) Kuntze
Koellia virginica (L.) Baill.
Nepeta virginica Willd.
Pycnanthemum lanceolatum (Willd.) Pursh
Satureja virginiana L.
Satureja virginica L.
Thymus lanceolatus (Willd.) Poir.
Thymus verticillatus Poir.
Thymus virginicus (L.) Willd.
Common Name: Virginia Mountain Mint
General Information
Pycnanthemum virginianum is an erect, many-branched, herbaceous perennial plant that can grow around 60 - 90cm tall[
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is occasionally grown as an ornamental, mainly for the ability of its flowers to attract bees, butterflies etc[
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
Known Hazards
There is a suggestion that the essential oils in this plant can cause abortions if ingested[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Botanical References
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
235- Title
- An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada
- Publication
-
- Author
- Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications. New York.
- Year
- 1970
- ISBN
- 0-486-22642-5
- Description
- Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
Range
Central and eastern N. America - North Dakota, Ontario and Quebec, south to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia
Habitat
Gravelly shores, meadows, dry to wet thickets etc[
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
]. Moist soils in wet meadows, swamps and along streams and ponds[
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.75 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Pycnanthemum virginianum is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating winter temperatures falling to -20°c or lower[
238- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
,
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
Succeeds in most soils[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
] but prefers a rich loamy soil in full sun or partial shade with plenty of moisture in the growing season[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
All parts of the plant emit a strong, mint-like aroma when crushed[
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
Edible Uses
Flower buds and leaves - raw or cooked. A mint-like flavour, they make a nice addition to salads or can be used as a flavouring in broths[
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
161- Title
- Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Yanovsky. E.
- Publisher
- U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
- Year
-
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
,
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
238- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
].
The fresh or dried leaves are brewed into a refreshing mint-like tea[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
Medicinal
A tea made from the leaves is alterative, diaphoretic and carminative[
222- Title
- A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0395467225
- Description
- A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
,
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. A poultice of the leaves is used in the treatment of headaches[
222- Title
- A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0395467225
- Description
- A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
]. The tea is also used in the treatment of menstrual disorders, indigestion, colic, coughs, colds, chills and fevers[
222- Title
- A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Co.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0395467225
- Description
- A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
,
238- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
,
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
The flowering stems are cut as flowering begins and they can be used fresh or dried[
238- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
].
There is a suggestion that this plant can cause abortions, so it is best not used by pregnant women[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If there are sufficient seeds they can be sown in an outdoor seedbed in mid spring.
Division in spring.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
