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Mentha cunninghamii Benth.

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Lamiaceae > Mentha

Characteristics

Gynodioecious perennial; stems ± creeping, very slender, branched, puberulent, especially on angles. Lvs sessile or with short hairy petioles to 4 mm long. Lamina 2-15 × 2-15 mm, broad-ovate to suborbicular, not rugose, entire or shallowly crenate, dotted with glands and usually glabrous except for nerves on lower surface; base broad-cuneate or truncate; apex rounded. Fls axillary, in clusters of 1-2-(3); pedicels prominent, puberulent. Calyx 3-4 mm long, narrow-campanulate, densely hairy and with glandular dots; teeth triangular, ciliate, much < tube, acute. Corolla c. 6 mm long, white, glabrous; tube not exserted; lobes subequal; uppermost lobe ± 2-fid. Stamens ± exserted. Nutlets 1-1.3 mm long, ± broad-ellipsoid, slightly angled, smooth.
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Stems several to ∞, very slender, clad in patent hairs, branched, arising from a slender branching rhizome or (occ.) stolons, forming loose patches up to c. 2 dm. diam. Lvs sessile or on petioles up to 2 mm. long; lamina (4)-7-12 × (3)-5-11 mm., gland-dotted, ± hairy; broad-ovate to broad ovate-oblong, entire or with a pair of minute notches, subtruncate at base. Fls axillary, solitary or in 2-3-fld cymes, fragrant. Peduncles slender, pubescent, up to c. 4 mm. long. Calyx us. villous, ± campanulate; teeth narrow-triangular. Corolla-lobes ± equal, white, spreading, upper ± bifid. Stamens hardly exserted.
A herb. The stems are hairy and become matted. The leaves are small and round. They are hairy.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality
Pollination entomogamy
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Root system rhizome
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Environment

Lowland to higher montane grassland and rather open places.
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It is a temperate plant.
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Usage

The leaves are used in a hot drink.
Uses essential oil medicinal
Edible leaves
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Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
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Images

Mentha cunninghamii unspecified picture

Distribution

Mentha cunninghamii world distribution map, present in New Zealand

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450390-1
WFO ID wfo-0000240575
COL ID 3ZRRH
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Mentha consimils Mentha cunninghamii Micromeria cunninghamii
WorldFloraDB 2024