Pycnanthemum sp. (“New River” Mountain-mint)

Description

Butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects love the white-bracted flowers of this 1′ tall native perennial. They spread slowly by stolons to make tight patches over time. The aroma of the leaves reminds me of Eucalyptus. They were used medicinally, and make a pleasant tea. medicinally. Plant in Sun or part shade in average to moist soil. They are generally deer resistant. The plants that we sell were propagated from a patch that I rescued from construction in 2003. I have never seen plants similar to them in the wild or in gardens. Plant them in your garden to help keep these unique plants alive.

We propagated these plants from a less than 3′  wide patch I found while conducting a vegetation survey for a proposed park along the New River in Beaufort County, SC in 2003. The area did not become a park, but a subdivision and the original population was extirpated.

(There were no other patches of the plant in the area. Decades of fire suppression had confined the species to the powerline easement, where it was subject to periodic herbicide spraying. Though,I have been botanizing in the area since 1991, I have never encountered similar plants anywhere else.) They were not blooming at the time, so I took a few pieces to propagate and grow out to identify when they bloomed.  The plants keyed out Pycanthemum muticum (Short-toothed Mountain-mint) in the Flora was using at the time.  However,  Patrick McMillan, the director of the SC Botanical Garden, reports that they are very distinct from the Pycnanthemum muticum from the mountains of NC, where all of the other Pycnanthemum muticum sold at plant sales in the Carolinas and Georgia originated from.  Our plants are shorter (1′-2′) have more flexible stems, and smaller leaves, and form clonal patches. He told me that one day the two forms will probably be separated into separated species.

The pictures here are from the NC mountain form. I have not found the occasion to take pictures of my plants. If you purchase them and take pictures of them, please share them with me.

We repotted our plants on 5/7/2021. We expect the new crop to be ready for shipment by 6/7/2021.