''Mentha cunninghamii'', known commonly as New Zealand mint or Māori mint, is a species within the ''

Mentha ''Mentha'' (also known as mint, from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta'') is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae (mint family). The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs nat ...

'' (mint) genus,

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Name

The plant was named to honor English botanist Allan Cunningham, who was known for his plant collections in Australia and New Zealand. In addition to its English-language names, several Māori language common names for the plant are also attested, including: , and . The latter is a term also used for the unrelated

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

s Microsorum scandens and

Doodia caudata ''Doodia caudata'' is a species of dimorphic, evergreen fern in the family Blechnaceae, native to Australia and New Zealand. Upright clusters of fertile fronds reach 10 inches (25 cm) in length. It has been introduced to the Azores ) , m ...

Description

''Mentha cunninghamii'' shares a mint odor with other species within the Mentha genus, but in appearance is very distinct from many other mints. It has been suggested that it may actually be more closely related to members of the ''

Micromeria ''Micromeria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, with a center of diversity in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. It is sometimes placed withi ...

'' genus. It is a slender, wiry, prostrate

perennial plant 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 ...

, with a creeping rhizome. The plant is much

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

ed, often matted, with numerous stems arising from the rhizome, diffusely branched,

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

, growing from two to twelve inches long. Its leaves are shortly petiolate or nearly

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 ...

, 1/6 to 1/2 inches long, broadly

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 ova ...

or almost orbicular, obtuse, entire or with an obscure notch on each side, and glandular-dotted. Its

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small, white, axillary, usually solitary but sometimes with two to three in each axil. Its peduncles are slender and variable in length. Its calyx are about 1/8 inches long, tubular-campanulate in shape, densely hairy, with teeth villous within. Its corolla-lobes are almost equal, flat and spreading, with the upper one shortly bifid. Its stamens protrude equally with the corolla or are slightly exserted.

Distribution

''Mentha cunninghamii'' is endemic to the four islands of North Island, South Island,

Chatham Island Chatham Island ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) is by far the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be "halfway bet ...

and Stewart Island in New Zealand. It is found sparsely in grassy fields and open land generally. It inhabits an elevation range from coastal to alpine, within a range of

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

to . Sources variously describe its flowering season as beginning in the Southern Hemisphere in either September or November, ending in April. As of 2018, New Zealand's

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

's New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) assesses ''Mentha cunninghamii's''

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...

as "At Risk: Declining." The system uses the Declining status to indicate populations that currently possess large populations, but are experiencing declines that could eventually lead to a listing as "Threatened."

Use

''Mentha cunninghamii'' has been used by New Zealand's

Māori people The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several c ...

as a diaphoretic (meant to induce sweating). The leaves are also used for their scent, including in cooking. It is described as easily cultivatable in many gardens.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mentha cunninghamii cunninghamii Herbs Endemic flora of New Zealand Plants described in 1884