American Cornmint

Appearance

"Mentha canadensis" is a perennial plant with an underground creeping rhizome and upright shoots. It can grow to a height of about 18 inches. It has hairy stems bearing opposite pairs of leaves. Each leaf is borne on a short stalk and has a wedge-shaped base and is lanceolate or ovate, with a toothed margin and a hairy surface. The flowers are borne in spikes at the tips of the shoots. The flowers may be bluish, pink or white. They are arranged in a spiral around the inflorescence. Each flower has five sepals, four petals, four stamens and a superior ovary. The fruits are dry and split open when ripe releasing the two seeds.

Distribution

"Mentha canadensis" has been found as a native species of mint around the world. Below is a detailed list of countries and states in which "Mentha canadensis" is considered to be native.

Asia
⤷  China
⤷  Eastern Asia: Japan; Korea
⤷  Russian Far East: Russian Federation
⤷  Siberia: Russian Federation
⤷  Indian Subcontinent: India; Nepal; Sri Lanka
⤷  Indo-China: Cambodia; Laos; Myanmar; Thailand; Vietnam
⤷  Malesia: Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines
Northern America
⤷  Eastern Canada: Canada
⤷  North-Central U.S.: United States
⤷  Northeastern U.S.: United States
⤷  Northwestern U.S.: United States
⤷  South-Central U.S.: United States
⤷  Southeastern U.S.: United States
⤷  Southwestern U.S.: United States
⤷  Subarctic America: Canada; United States
⤷  Western Canada: Canada

Habitat

The mint grows in wet areas but not directly in water, so it will be found near sloughs, and lake and river edges. Plants bloom from July to August in their native habitats.