Mentha arvensis L.
field mint (wild mint)
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
field mint (wild mint)
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Larry Halverson (Photo ID #71145)
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a creeping rhizome; stems ascending or erect, 10-80 cm tall, single or branched, 4-angled, hairy, some of the hairs pointed downward on the angles; smells minty.
Leaves:
Opposite, usually elliptic, vary from lanceolate to nearly circular, 2-8 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, more or less hairy, shallowly round- to sharp-toothed, tips pointed, bases tapered or rounded; short-stalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of many-flowered, separated, axillary clusters; bracts leaf-like, the upper reduced somewhat but always longer than flowers; corollas tubular, light purple, 4-7 mm long, 4-lobed, the lobes nearly alike; calyces bell-shaped, 2-3 mm long, hairy, the teeth short, slightly longer than wide, triangular, blunt to sharp-pointed.
Fruits:
Nutlets, 4 clustered together, egg-shaped.
Notes:
Mentha x verticillata L. (M. arvensis x M. aquatica) has been reported from the lower Fraser Valley.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Mentha arvensis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
774 | 0 | 1740 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
1 | 0 | 57 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
202 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 3 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
385 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(16), BWBS(5), CDF(9), CWH(74), ESSF(1), ICH(55), IDF(111), MH(1), MS(18), PP(17), SBPS(8), SBS(55) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet marshes, meadows, thickets, and stream and lake margins in the lowland and montane zones; common throughout BC; circumboreal, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to DE, MO and CA; Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Mentha arvensis subsp. borealis (Michx.) Roy L. Taylor & MacBryde
Mentha arvensis subsp. haplocalyx Briq.
Mentha arvensis subsp. villosa
Mentha arvensis var. arvensis
Mentha arvensis var. canadensis (L.) Kuntze
Mentha arvensis var. glabrata (Benth.) Fern.
Mentha arvensis var. lanata Piper
Mentha arvensis var. sativa auct. non Benth. [misapplied]
Mentha arvensis var. villosa (Benth.) S.R. Stewart
Mentha gentilis L.
Mentha glabrior (Hook.) Rydb.
Mentha penardii (Briq.) Rydb.