Canada mint
Mentha canadensis
It is the only mint species native to North America, and its essential oils contain high levels of menthol, used historically to soothe ailments.
- Scientific name
- Mentha canadensis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Lamiaceae › Mentha
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Wet meadows, stream banks, lake shores, marshes, and damp forest openings.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing nutrients and water from damp, organic soils).
- Range
- North America, East Asia
- Size
- 10 to 80 cm tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (stems die back annually, but underground rhizomes can survive for decades).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, habitat destruction, and displacement by invasive species like reed canary grass.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly aromatic. Safe to touch and smell. If foraging, ensure positive identification to avoid toxic lookalikes like water hemlock that sometimes share the same damp habitats.
Mentha canadensis (syn. M. arvensis var. canadensis ) is a species of mint commonly known as American wild mint , native to North America (from Northwest Territories to central Mexico), or known as bakha , East Asian wild mint , or Japanese Mint ( M. arvensis var. piperascens ) in eastern Asia (Siberia to Java) and the Northern Territory of Australia. The flowers are bluish or a slight violet tint. The plant is upright about 4 inches (10 cm) to 18 inches (46 cm)...
Photo: elik03, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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