''Pycnanthemum incanum'', with the common name hoary mountainmint, "

mountain mint ''Pycnanthemum'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Species in this genus are often referred to as "mountain mints" and they often have a minty or thyme-like aroma when crushed. All species of ''Pycnanthemum'' are ...

", wild basil or hoary basil, is a herbaceous

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 ...

in the

mint family 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, ...

.Germplasm Resources Information Network− GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.6.2: taxonomy of ''Pycnanthemum incanum''
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Distribution

The plant is widespread across

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

and into

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It prefers rocky, gravelly or sandy soil, and typically grows in woods, thickets, fields, and hills.

Conservation

It is listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, and in Ontario where there are only two remaining populations located within a single stretch of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

savanna near

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. There is currently a recovery strategy in place organized by the

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...

to monitor these last populations. Rom.on.ca/ontario: ''Pycnanthemum incanum''
/ref>

Description

''Pycnanthemum incanum'' grows to high by wide. The stems are covered with a soft, whitish down. A vigorous and often aggressive grower, this plant spreads by long rhizomes. White blooms appear from July to September. ''Pycnanthemum'' means "dense flower-clusters" in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, and the flowers are favored by butterflies, moths, honeybees, and some species of wasps.

Varieties

There are two varieties: * ''Pycnanthemum incanum'' var. ''incanum'' - Ontario, eastern US * ''Pycnanthemum incanum'' var. ''puberulum'' (E.Grant & Epling) Fernald - West Virginia, Alabama, North + South Carolina

Uses

When crushed, the leaves emit a strong minty aroma, and are often used to flavor teas.

Medicinal use

This species contains

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...

and is considered to be an

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian plant ...

. The

Choctaw The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

put the mashed leaves in warm water, which the patient drank, and which was poured over the head to relieve headaches. For patients who were sickly all the time, the leaves were mashed in water, the doctor took a mouthful of water, and blew it onto the patient, three times on the head, three times on the back, and three times on the chest. Before the next sunrise, the patient was bathed in the medicine. The

Koasati The Coushatta ( cku, Koasati, Kowassaati or Kowassa:ti) are a Muskogean-speaking Native American people now living primarily in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territor ...

mashed the leaves in water, and used the water to treat laziness. The patient bathed his face in the cold water and drank it. For nosebleeds, the plant was wetted, and put up into the nostrils to stop the bleed. The roots were boiled along with

Black Willow ''Salix nigra'', the black willow, is a species of willow native to eastern North America, from New Brunswick and southern Ontario west to Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Texas. Description ''Salix nigra'' is a medium-sized decid ...

, and drunk to relieve headache. It is considered to be a food source for large mammals, as well.

References

Bibliography

Native American Ethnobotany Database: ''Pycnanthemum incanum'' (Hoary Mountainmint)

* Darlington, William "Flora Cestrica", published by Lindsay and Blakiston, 1853 * Wood, Alphonso "A Class-book of Botany", published by Manufactering Co., 1851 * Gray, Asa "Gray's School and Field Book of Botany, published by Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor, & Company, 1879 * Elliot, William "The Washington Guide", published by F. Taylor, 1837 * Taylor, Lyda Averill "Plants Used As Curatives by Certain Southeastern Tribes", published by Botanical Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1940

* ttp://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=32&lang=en Rom.on.ca/ontario/risk: ''Pycnanthemum incanum''

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Pycnanthemum incanum'' (hoary mountainmint)

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network-NPIN: ''Pycnanthemum incanum'' (Hoary mountain mint, Silverleaf mountain mint)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7262900 incanum Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of Ontario Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Medicinal plants of North America Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Endangered flora of the United States Endangered flora of North America Flora without expected TNC conservation status