Description
Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), also known as Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, is a fragrant, pollinator-friendly perennial native to the central and eastern United States. A member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), it grows 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads up to 4 feet wide, forming dense, colony-like clumps through underground rhizomes.
This warm-season plant is easily identified by its fine, needle-like silvery green leaves and multi-branching stems. In bloom from June to September, it produces clusters of small white flowers with delicate purple spots. These blooms are rich in nectar and attract a wide range of native pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
Slender Mountain Mint thrives in dry to medium-wet soils and grows best in full to partial sun. Naturally found in upland prairies, woodland borders, and dry open woods, it’s a tough, adaptable species suited for pollinator gardens, restoration projects, and native borders. While it can spread aggressively, clumps are easy to divide and transplant.
Other U.S. native mountain mints include Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) and Appalachian Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum).
