Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.
apple mint
Rhizomatous, densely hairy perennial with erect, branched stems to c. 70 cm tall. Lvs sessile or nearly so, smaller below infl., 1.5-4.5 × 0.8-3 cm, broad, usually elliptic, sometimes ovate or oblong-ovate, rugose, crenulate or crenulate-serrate, often grey-tomentose at least below, with oil globules below; base cordate or subcordate and often ± amplexicaul. Infl. of several narrow elongated terminal spikes, densely hairy, freely branching at base; central spike to c. 8 cm long, the others shorter; fls pedicellate. Calyx 1.5-2.5 mm long, broad-campanulate, ± green, glandular, hairy; teeth equal, acuminate, = tube at anthesis. Corolla 3-3.5 mm long, pale pink or whitish; lobes ± hairy; tube exserted. Stamens exserted or included. Nutlets c. 0.8 mm long, ovoid, bluntly angled, reticulate.
N.; S.; St.: scattered throughout.
S. and W. Europe 1935
Waste places, roadsides and pastures in the vicinity of habitations, cultivation escape.
FL Jan-Apr.
Apple mint or round-leaved mint is often regarded as a substitute for, or is even used in preference to, M. spicata, for it has a sweeter flavour, and does not get as badly infected with mint rust. The status of M. suaveolens and several of its hybrids is unclear. Throughout N.Z. plants of apple mint are fairly uniform; they form nutlets but these are generally, or possibly always, inviable. This plant is treated as M. rotundifolia (L.) Hudson in many Floras but true M. rotundifolia is now considered to be a hybrid between M. longifolia (L.) Hudson and M. suaveolens. N.Z. material originally identified and recorded as M. × niliaca is referable to M. suaveolens.
