code: 1000
it is also very attractive to butterflies and bees
Family: Lamiaceae
Common name: Buddleia mint
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 30 cm
Maximum Height: 45 cm
This tough and long-lived plant is better used as an ornamental herb rather than a culinary one. Grown for its long, fragrant, nectar-rich purple flowers, it is also very attractive to butterflies and bees, whilst its long green-grey leaves have a delicious minty scent.
Sowing advice:
For best results, sow seeds immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. However, we sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, and often wait for spring before emerging regardless of when they are sown. But spring sowing will obviously give them a full season of growth if successful germination occurs.
Distribution and habitat
Two mint species are indigenous to South Africa, Mentha longifolia and M. aquatica (wild water mint). Both are quite commonly found in marshes and along streams, from the Cape through Africa and Europe. M. longifolia (longifolia meaning long leaves) is identified by its stalkless leaves and white to mauve flowers that are grouped in a long spike. The leaves of M. aquatica (aquatica meaning living in water) are broader and more egg-shaped, whereas the flowerheads are roundish whorls (approximately 25 mm in diameter), pink or mauve flower clusters formed one above the other.
In South Africa, three different subspecies of Mentha longifolia are recognized.
- M. longifolia subsp. wissi (Cape velvet mint) is known from only two places, the one near Brandberg in Namibia and the other near Garies in Namaqualand. The long and thin, grey-green leaves of subsp. wissi are said to be unpleasantly aromatic.
- M. longifolia subsp. capensis (balderjan), with a strong peppermint scent, is the most widespread and occurs from Calvinia down to the Cape Peninsula through the Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Orange Free State, KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng and Limpopo the Northern Province.
- The distribution of M. longifolia subsp. polyadena (spearmint) is along two disjunct areas, the first from Gauteng, Swaziland, northern KwaZulu Natal, eastern Free State and northern Lesotho and then with a long jump down to the southern Cape, it is found again between Humansdorp and the Swartberg.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
The large mint family, Lamiaceae, with about 250 genera and 6 700 species, include many well-known herbs and garden plants such as like lavender, sage, basil, rosemary and mint. Mentha (Latin for mint) is a cosmopolitan genus with about 20 to 30 species that are mainly found in temperate regions. The identification of the mints can be quite difficult for they are extremely variable and easily hybridized.
The many common names is a quick clue that this is a plant that means something to people, but can also be confusing. The same common name is often given to different plants or the same plant may have different common names in different areas and languages. The original Nama name meant ‘something that grows close to water’ (Rood 1994). In England, Mentha longifolia is known as horse mint because the leaves are usually unpleasantly scented.(Codd 1985). M. spicata, also called spearmint, is not indigenous to South Africa, but is often found as a garden escape in wet areas. This exotic mint is a very popular herb and is also cultivated commercially for its essential oils that are used medicinally and in confectionary. Cultivated in Europe since ancient times, its origin has been lost but it has managed to become naturalized throughout the world in a range of different forms (Codd 1985).
Ecology
Bees and butterflies are attracted to the wild mint when in flower.
Uses
Found in most parts of the country and easy to harvest, wild mint is a popular traditional medicine. It is mainly used for respiratory ailments but many other uses have also been recorded. It is mostly the leaves that are used, usually to make a tea that is drunk for coughs, colds, stomach cramps, asthma, flatulence, indigestion and headaches. Externally, wild mint has been used to treat wounds and swollen glands. In her book Traditional healing herbs, Margaret Roberts mentions the different uses of Mentha longifolia and M. aquatica, which are delicious in salads and vegetable dishes. She also mentions that M. longifolia subsp. capensis, with its strong smell rubbed onto the body and bedding, is used to keep mosquitoes away.
