[Mints: The Genus Mentha in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
American Corn Mint, Corn Mint, Field Mint, Wild Mint
Mentha canadensis
Synonyms: Mentha arvensis, Mentha arvensis ssp. borealis, Mentha arvensis ssp. haplocalyx, Mentha arvensis var. arvensis, Mentha arvensis var. canadensis, Mentha arvensis var. glabrata, Mentha arvensis var. lanata, Mentha arvensis var. sativa, Mentha arvensis var. villosa, Mentha gentilis, Mentha glabrior, Mentha penardii
Field mint from the beach at the Dalles Riverside Park........October 7, 2006.
Characteristics:
Field mint is a perennial with creeping rhizomes.
The several to numerous stems ascend from 20-80 cm in height. The herbage is
pubescent with a few to many short to longer, spreading hairs. The leaves are
opposite on the stems, and are a pale to bright green in color. They may be
glabrous or pubescent. The leaves have short petioles, with blades from 2-8
cm long and 6-40 mm wide. They are narrowly ovate, elliptic-ovate, or rhombic-elliptic
in shape. The leaf margins are toothed.
The inflorescence consists of numerous, dense whorls
of pale pink flowers which are often nearly hidden by the leaves. The whorls
are found in the leaf axils. The calyx is pubescent, ranging in length from
2.5-3 mm long. The corolla is tubular, ranging form 4-7 mm in length. The corollas
are white, pink or light purple.
Habitat:
Field mint may be found in moist places along streams
and shores of larger rivers from the lowlands to medium altitudes in the mountains.
Range:
Field mint is a circumboreal plant. In North America,
it may be found from the Arctic south to California, New Mexico, Missouri, and
Virginia.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between
the elevations of 0'-2000' from the western entrance to the gorge east to the
mouth of the Deschutes River.
Field mint from the beach at the Dalles Riverside Park........October 7, 2006.
The photo above shows a close-up of the upper stem of field mint as seen on the beach at The Dalles Riverside Park.........September 29, 2007.
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Close-ups of the stem leaves and inflorescence of field mint as seen at Dalton Point in the western Columbia River Gorge..........August 19, 2009.
Field mint still blooming along the Columbia River shoreline west of the Dalton Point boat landing..........October 8, 2012.
Field mint still in bloom along the Columbia River shoreline at the south side of the Washougal Dike, Columbia River Gorge..........August 31, 2015.
Field mint blooming along the Columbia River shoreline between Multnomah Falls and Dalton Point..........September 26, 2015.
Paul Slichter