Wild mint (Canada mint)
Mentha canadensis
An aromatic perennial of damp open ground, shorelines and wetland edges. Identified leaves have culinary uses as mint flavouring and tea.
Native range
North America and parts of eastern Asia. Toronto-region wild populations are documented under Mentha canadensis; older references may use Mentha arvensis varieties.
Typical season
Approximate growing-season leaf reference for southern Ontario. Use clean, identified material and avoid contaminated drainage sites.
Identification
Use opposite toothed leaves, square stems and small pale flowers in rings at leaf axils rather than a terminal flower spike. Compare the whole plant with other mints; smell alone is insufficient and pennyroyal is not a substitute. Leaf food uses do not establish essential-oil safety.