''Cunila origanoides'', with the
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
s stone mint, frost mint, dittany, and American dittany, is a
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
late-summer-flowering
subshrub
A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...
with small purple flowers that is native to the central and eastern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
It belongs to the
Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( )
or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...
(mint) family and is the only species in the ''Cunila'' genus native to the United States. It grows in habitats such as dry forests and the thin soil around rock outcrops. This species has historically been cultivated for use as a
medicinal herb
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...
, tea, and
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
.
Description
''C. origanoides'' is a low, shrublike plant with square, stiff, branching stems, growing tall. In the spring, the stems are purple, turning red when the plant is in bloom, then brown and woody in the fall. Leaves are opposite and measure long. They are
sessile
Sessility, or sessile, may refer to:
* Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about
* Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant
* Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
or have very short
petioles. They are
lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
,
ovate
Ovate may refer to:
*Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts
*Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe
*Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd
*Vates
In modern English, the nouns vates () and ovat ...
, or ovate-cordate, with finely toothed margins. When crushed, the leaves give off a strong mint aroma.
Small purple or lavender flowers, measuring up to long, appear in clusters of
cymes
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...
at the end of branches. The flowers are tubular with 4 flared lobes. The 2 stamens and the style are twice as long as the
corolla and stick out noticeably.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is native in the United States from Texas to the west and south, Illinois and New York to the north, and North Carolina to the east.
[ It is found in dry areas in upland rocky woodlands, rocky slopes and ridges, and semi-shaded areas of sandstone cliffs.]
Ecology
The plant blooms in the late summer and fall, and butterflies, bees, and other insects are attracted to the flowers. It is a host plant for the moth ''Stephensia cunilae
''Stephensia cunilae'' is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
The wingspan is 6.5–7 mm. The extreme base of the forewings is dark reddish-bronze, ...
''. ''C. origanoides'' is one of the few plants that are known to produce frost flowers
A frost flower or ice flower is formed when thin layers of ice are extruded from long-stemmed plants in autumn or early winter. The thin layers of ice are often formed into exquisite patterns that curl into "petals" that resemble flowers.
Typ ...
.
Uses
The leaves of ''C. origanoides'', either fresh or dried, have been used for making tea with a pleasant, mint flavor. The tea can also be used for headaches, colds, and fevers, as well as for inducing menstruation and perspiration. Cunila oil, an essential oil, can be used as an antiseptic, aromatic and stimulant.
File:Cunila origanoides drawing 1.png
References
*
External links
Henriette's Herbal
Plants for a Future
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5194277
Lamiaceae
Plants described in 1759
Flora of the Eastern United States