Mentha pulegiumL. Pennyroyal

Mentha pulegiumL. - Pennyroyal

Scientific Description:

Perennial herb with pungent odour. Stems 10−40 cm, procumbent to erect. Leaves 8−30 × 4−12 mm, narrowly elliptic with attenuate base to suborbicular, shortly petiolate, margin obscurely toothed. Verticillasters subtended by leaflike bracts. Calyx (2−)2.5−3 mm, tubular, weakly 2-lipped, throat hairy within. Corolla tube gibbous beneath, lilac.

Flowering time: June−September.

Habitat: Damp places drying up in summer, s. 1,−1300 m.

Reference:

Harley RM (1982). Mentha pulegium L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 7: 385−386.

Public Description:

Mentha pulegium, known as “pennyroyal”, is native to Türkiye, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It is a perennial herb with lilac flowers, and grows up to 40 cm in length. It blooms between June and September and is found in damp places drying up in summer. Even though its oil is exremely poisonous, it was used as a cooking herb by the Greeks and Romans. The fresh or dried leaves of the plant were used to flavour pudding. In traditional folk medicine, it is used for emmenagogue, but can cause abortifacient. In Türkiye, fresh leaves of the plant are used as raw while dried leaves are used as a spice.

References:

Anonymous (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium, Accessed date: 14.02.2016.

Dirmenci T (2012). Mentha L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 561–562.