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Mentha australis R.Br.

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Lamiaceae > Mentha

Characteristics

Rhizomatous perennial with stems to c. 30 cm tall; stem angles scabrid. Lvs shortly petiolate; lamina 2.5-4.5 × 0.5-1 cm, usually lanceolate, sometimes ovate-lanceolate, not rugose, distantly serrulate or nearly entire, nearly glabrous above, dotted with glands and mainly hairy on the veins below; base cuneate; apex acute. Verticels all axillary, densely puberulent; fls few to many, subsessile. Calyx 6-7 mm long, ± tubular, hairy outside, with some glandular scales; teeth subequal, aristate, < tube. Corolla 8-9 mm long, white, probably sometimes pale mauve; tube scarcely exserted from calyx, hairy inside. Stamens c. = corolla. Nutlets not seen.
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A herb which keeps growing from year to year. It has a strong smell. It grows 30-80 cm high and spreads 30-150 cm wide. The stems are square and can be hairy and purplish. The leaves are 2-5 cm long by 0.4-1.5 cm wide. They are opposite and sword shaped. They are usually hairy. They are green and the edges are entire. The tip is pointed. The flowers are small and white or lilac. They have very short stalks. They occur in clusters of 3-16 in rings in the axils of the upper leaves. They have a sweet scent. The fruit are small.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.3 - 1.5
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 0.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in moist and flooded sites. It can grow in sunny or shady positions. It can tolerate frosts.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The leaves, fresh or dried, are used as a seasoning. It is the source of an essential oil.
Uses essential oil food food additive medicinal poison seasoning social use vertebrate poison
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed, cuttings or division of the clump. Plants can be pruned back to ground level.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Mentha australis world distribution map, present in New Zealand

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450215-1
WFO ID wfo-0000240401
COL ID 3ZRMM
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Micromeria australis Mentha australis
WorldFloraDB 2024