Hedeoma drummondii
Encyclopedia
Hedeoma drummondii is a species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Drummond's false pennyroyal. It is native to western North America, where it is distributed mainly in the United States west of the Mississippi River
and adjacent Mexico. This is a hairy perennial herb with an erect mintlike form up to 45 centimeters tall. The oppositely arranged paired leaves are linear to narrowly oval in shape, pointed, and up to about a centimeter long. The leaves have a strong sweet mint
scent when crushed. The herb tastes like peppermint
and is used as a minty flavoring in parts of Mexico. The inflorescence
arises from the axils of these leaf pairs, bearing three to seven flowers each between one and two centimeters in length on short pedicels
. The flowers are generally light to deep lavender with some white markings. The fruit is a waxy, mucilaginous
nutlet.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name Drummond's false pennyroyal. It is native to western North America, where it is distributed mainly in the United States west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and adjacent Mexico. This is a hairy perennial herb with an erect mintlike form up to 45 centimeters tall. The oppositely arranged paired leaves are linear to narrowly oval in shape, pointed, and up to about a centimeter long. The leaves have a strong sweet mint
Mentha
Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
scent when crushed. The herb tastes like peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
and is used as a minty flavoring in parts of Mexico. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
arises from the axils of these leaf pairs, bearing three to seven flowers each between one and two centimeters in length on short pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flowers are generally light to deep lavender with some white markings. The fruit is a waxy, mucilaginous
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
nutlet.