Mentha spicata

Spearmint

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Spearmint is a naturalized perennial found in California in moist places, marshes, lakeshores, and fields at elevations up to 2,350 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces white to pink or lavender flowers in small dense clusters. Growing with smooth stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it spreads readily in wet environments. Its lance-shaped leaves are 1 to 6 centimeters long, with serrated edges and a rounded base, giving off a distinctive minty fragrance when crushed. The plant forms compact, spike-like flower clusters with ovate bracts surrounding each flower group.

Habitat: Moist places, marshes, lakeshores, fields

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: < 2350 m

Bioregions: CA

California counties: Butte, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Plumas, Santa Clara, Lake, Tulare, Los Angeles, Trinity, San Luis Obispo, Tuolumne, Santa Barbara, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Marin, Kern, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Inyo, Amador, Placer, Solano, Orange, Sonoma, Mono, Modoc, San Mateo, Yolo, Yuba, Tehama, Colusa, Alameda, Merced, Sacramento, Napa, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Fresno, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Nevada, Mendocino, Mariposa, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.