Mentha pulegium
Pennyroyal
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Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Mentha pulegium (Pennyroyal) is a non-native California herb in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by Co-occurs with 9 other mint species; distinctive low growth habit and exserted stamens.
Pennyroyal is a naturalized perennial found in coastal, northern California, central California, Great Valley, central western California, and Peninsular Ranges in moist places and fields at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces violet to lavender flowers in dense axillary head-like clusters. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall that are short-hairy, it spreads across the ground with a spreading habit. Its leaves are narrowly ovate to elliptic, 5 to 25 millimeters long, with entire to finely serrate edges and rounded tips that are short-hairy underneath. The small flowers are subtended by reflexed leaves or leaf-like bracts, giving the plant a distinctive clustered appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 9 other mint species; distinctive low growth habit and exserted stamens
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist places, fields
Elevation: < 1400 m
California counties: Amador, Mendocino, Humboldt, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, San Diego, Monterey, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Madera, Merced, Tehama, Butte, Shasta, Napa, Glenn, Tulare, Yolo, El Dorado, Solano, Sacramento, Sutter, Santa Cruz, Yuba, Trinity, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Riverside, Alameda, Calaveras, Mariposa, San Bernardino, Del Norte, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Tuolumne
Outside California: to Oregon, eastern United States, native to Europe
Bloom period
Mentha pulegium blooms Jul-Oct.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
How to tell it apart
vs Monardella: Monardella has one pom-pom head per stem; Mentha has multiple clusters stacked at intervals up the stem.; vs Salvia: Sage has flowers in an elongated terminal spike; Mentha has clusters distributed along the stem at leaf joints.; vs Stachys: Hedge-nettle has larger flowers and lacks the classic mint smell; Mentha is aromatic with smaller flowers.; vs Melissa: Lemon balm has flowers all on one side of the stem; Mentha's clusters encircle the stem evenly.; vs Clinopodium: Clinopodium has tiny flowers (pencil-eraser size); Mentha's flowers are noticeably larger and more visible.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mentha pulegium native to California?
No. Mentha pulegium is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Mentha pulegium bloom?
Mentha pulegium blooms Jul-Oct.
Where in California does Mentha pulegium grow?
Mentha pulegium occurs in Amador, Mendocino, Humboldt, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, San Diego, Monterey and other counties, at elevations of < 1400 m.
What plant family does Mentha pulegium belong to?
Mentha pulegium is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Mentha.
Is Mentha pulegium invasive in California?
Mentha pulegium is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.