Cunila origanoides
Cunila origanoides, with the common names stone mint, frost mint, dittany, and American dittany, is a perennial late-summer-flowering subshrub with small purple flowers that is native to the central and eastern United States. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is the only species in the Cunila genus native to the United States. It grows in habitats such as dry forests and the thin soil around rock outcrops. This species has historically been cultivated for use as a medicinal herb, tea, and ornamental plant.
Description
Cunila origanoides is a low, shrublike plant with square, stiff, branching stems, growing tall. In the spring, the stems are purple, turning red when the plant is in bloom, then brown and woody in the fall. Leaves are opposite and measure long. They are sessile or have very short petioles. They are lanceolate, ovate, or ovate-cordate, with finely toothed margins. When crushed, the leaves give off a strong mint aroma.Small purple or lavender flowers, measuring up to long, appear in clusters of cymes at the end of branches. The flowers are tubular with 4 flared lobes. The 2 stamens and the style are twice as long as the corolla and stick out noticeably.