Hyptis alata


Hyptis alata, the musky mint or clustered bushmint, is a shrub species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae, the mint family. The genus Hyptis is commonly known as the bushmints. Hyptis alata is the southeastern United States analog to the Southwestern deserts H. emoryi, the desert lavender.
;Varieties
  1. Hyptis alata subsp. alata - United States and Cuba
  2. Hyptis alata subsp. rugosula Harley - South America

    Description

H. alata can reach up to 4 feet in height and possesses round flower heads. Its leaves are simple and lanceolate in shape. They have serrated leaf margins. Individuals give off a musky mint scent, the origin of its common name.

Distribution and habitat

This species' native range extends throughout the southeastern United States from Texas to North Carolina, as well as in Cuba, Argentina, southern Brazil, and Paraguay.
It is found in wetlands, prairies, pond margins and wet flatwoods.