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Mentha suaveolens

Ehrh. (1792)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Mentha

pineapple mint

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herb, sweetly fragrant.

Stems: Stems 10-100 cm tall, +/- whitish-hairy.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate-oblong to subcircular, 30–40 mm long, 20–30 mm wide. Upper surfaces pubescent; lower surfaces with numerous branched hairs. Margins serrate with 10–20 teeth on each side. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence terminal, usually in branched, dense spikes 1.6-3.5" long, 0.2-0.4" diam., the lowermost whorls often separated by gaps. Calyx campanulate, 1–2 mm long, pubescent. Corolla whitish or pink. Stamens 4, equal. Ovary superior, glabrous.

Fruit: Nutlets reticulate; red-brown to black.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Escaping from gardens; in damp areas.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

O'ahu Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

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Bibliography

Name Published In: Beitr. Naturk. 7: 149 (1792)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:807 (O, H [as M. × villosa]); Staples et al. 2003:14 (M. × villosa, M. × rotundifolia misapplied = M. suaveolens); Staples & Herbst 2005:357 (KEY), 358 (DESCR); Greenfield s.n. BISH 53275 (O†, 1959); Kawasaki s.n. BISH 53274 (H†, 1959)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Mentha suaveolens Parker Ranch, slope of Mauna Kea Preserved_Specimen A musty-scented weed from Europe, distributed in the States from Maine to Mexico. Kawasaki, A. Hawaii BISH 1959-08-25
2 Mentha suaveolens Honolulu, purchased at Kilgo's on Sand Island Rd Cultivated herb. Preserved_Specimen Leaves downy, musty-fragrant, some lvs variegated with white blotches. Inflorescences produced on just 2 stems; flowers white, densely crowded. Staples, G.W. 1016 Oahu BISH 1995-08-12
3 Mentha suaveolens Honolulu, 1711 Mahani Loop, Kalihi Uka Preserved_Specimen Plant very fragrant. It spreads wildely; leaves stemless, downy, green with white long to short areas along the edges of most. Flowers not seen. Greenfield, R. Oahu BISH 1959-06-26
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