Specific epithet comes from the Latin word muticus meaning blunt. Genus name comes from Greek pyknos meaning dense and anthos meaning flower for its densely packed flowers. Native Americans used this plant for treatment of fevers, colds, stomach aches, and other minor physical ailments. Flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees. Short-toothed mountain mint grows to a height of about 2-3 feet, topped with round heads of tiny white flowers smudged with bright magenta. When planted in groups or massed, the silvery bracts give the entire planting the appearance of being dusted by a white powdery snow. Plant foliage is topped in mid to late summer by a bloom of two-lipped tubular pink flowers (each to 1/2" wide) in dense flat-topped terminal (sometimes axillary) clusters, with each cluster being subtended and highlighted by a pair of unique and showy silvery fringeless leaf-like bracts located near the base of the cluster. ![]() Branched stems (mostly square in cross section) are clad with nearly sessile, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate (pointed), dark green leaves (to 2 1/4" long) with round to heart-shaped bases and toothed margins. This densely leaved mountain mint features dark green leaves which have a strong mint-like (spearmint) aroma when crushed. In Missouri, it is only found in the far southeastern corner of the State. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those. ![]() ![]() The foliage is very aromatic with its spearmint aroma present even in the dead of winter. Short Toothed Mountain Mint is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Growing 2-3’ tall and spreading quickly, this broad-leaved Pycnanthemum has lustrous foliage and silvery bracts with flowers ranging in color from white to pink to purple. It is native to Eastern North America (Maine to Michigan to Illinois and Missouri south to Florida and Texas) where it typically grows in grassy open places, meadows, fields, low woodland areas and occasionally in dry upland woods, but not in alpine areas as somewhat inaccurately suggested by its common name. Pycnanthemum muticum is a well-loved mountain mint, by insects and humans alike. What Do Juniper Hairstreaks and Cedar Waxwings Have in Common Juniper Hairstreaks are sprightly little butterflies. Pycnanthemum muticum, commonly called mountain mint or short-toothed mountain mint or clustered mountain mint, is a clump-forming aromatic perennial that typically grows 1-3’ tall.
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