- Meehania cordata
-
Meehania cordata Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Meehania Species: M. cordata Binomial name Meehania cordata Meehania cordata, also known as Meehan's Mint or Creeping Mint, is a perennial plant of the genus Meehania, within the family Lamiaceae found in moist shady banks west of Pennsylvania to Illinois, Tennessee, and North Carolina around the month of June.
Contents
Description
Meehania, which was named by Nathaniel Lord Britton for the late Thomas Meehan, Philadelphian botanist, is a Dicot perennial plant with calyx rather obliquely 5-toothed, 15nerved. Corolla ample, expanded at the throat; the upper lip flattish or concave, 2-lobed, the lower 3-cleft, the middle lobe largest. Stamens 4, ascending, the lower pair shorter; anther-cells parallel. -Low stoloniferous herb, with a pale purplish flowers.[1]
Meehania cordata, which is the only species of the genus Meehania and named by the English botanist Thomas Nuttall, are low, with slender runners, hairy; leaves broadly heart-shaped, crenate, petioled, the floral shorter than the calyx; whorls few-flowered, at the summit of short ascending stems; corolla hairy inside, 2-3.5 cm. long; stamens shorter than the upper lip. .[1]
It is found mostly in eastern North America. In the states of
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
If you are looking for a novel groundcover, Meehan’s mint is the perfect choice. This deciduous herbaceous perennial groundcover spreads nicely in part shade and moist well-drained to average soils with foliage reaching only 1”-2” tall. In late spring it produces attractive lavender flowers with dark spots on upright stems 3”-4” tall above the foliage. Meehan’s mint spreads slowly, but is perfect for the summer garden when other plants have stopped flowering. This gem is an excellent companion to use with a wide variety of plants including Scutellaria serrata, Mitchella repens, Aquilegia canadensis, Carex plantaginea, Phlox stolonifera, Fothergilla gardenii, and Calycanthus floridus just to mention a few.[2]
This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state.
- Pennsylvania:
heart-leafed meehania: Endangered[3]
- Tennessee:
heartleaf meehania: Threatened[3]
References
- ^ a b Gray, Asa (1908). Gray's New Manual of Botany. New York: American Book Company.
- ^ Lammot du Pont Copeland, Mr. and Mrs.. "Mt. Cuba Center". Mt. Cuba Center. http://www.mtcubacenter.org/plant-finder/details/meehania-cordata/. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ a b "USDA Plants". United States Department of Agriculture. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MECO. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
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