Short-Toothed Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

Description: Hardy, North American perennial - White to violet-pink flowers in mid- to late summer; flowers highlighted by large, showy silvery bracts; oval, pointed, deep green leaves smell like spearmint when crushed
Habit: Grows 3 to 4 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide
Culture: Prefers full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 4
Origin: United States
Attributes: Attracts butterflies and bees - Fragrant foliage - Deer resistant - Culinary uses

Known also as Broad-leaved, Clustered, and Blunt Mountain Mint, this species is native to moist woods, meadows, and fields from Massachusetts to Michigan and south to Louisiana and Florida. French botanist and friend of Thomas Jefferson, André Michaux, found this plant in Pennsylvania in 1790 and named it Pycnanthemum or 'densely flowered' from the Greek for dense (pyknos) and flowered (anthos). Muticum is Latin for blunt, referring to the flat bracts at the tops of each stem. It is an excellent nectar plant and attracts butterflies and beneficial insects such as lady bugs and lacewings. Plants are also deer resistant and can be rubbed on the skin to repel mosquitoes.

Short-Toothed Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) arrives in a 2.5" square pot.