Biology:Mentha cunninghamii
| New Zealand mint, Māori mint | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Mentha |
| Species: | M. cunninghamii
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| Binomial name | |
| Mentha cunninghamii Benth.
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| Synonyms | |
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Mentha cunninghamii, known commonly as New Zealand mint or Māori mint,[3] is a species within the Mentha (mint) genus, endemic to New Zealand.[4][5]
Name
The plant was named to honor English botanist Allan Cunningham, who was known for his plant collections in Australia and New Zealand.[6] In addition to its English-language names, several Māori language common names for the plant are also attested, including: hīoi,[7] moki and mokimoki.[8][9] The latter is a term also used for the unrelated ferns Microsorum scandens and Doodia caudata.[10]
Description
Mentha cunninghamii shares a mint odor with other species within the Mentha genus, but in appearance is very distinct from many other mints.[6] It has been suggested that it may actually be more closely related to members of the Micromeria genus.[11]
It is a slender, wiry, prostrate perennial plant, with a creeping rhizome. The plant is much branched, often matted, with numerous stems arising from the rhizome, diffusely branched, pubescent, growing from two to twelve inches long.[12] Its leaves are shortly petiolate or nearly sessile, 1/6 to 1/2 inches long, broadly ovate or almost orbicular, obtuse, entire or with an obscure notch on each side, and glandular-dotted. Its flowers are small, white, axillary, usually solitary but sometimes with two to three in each axil. Its peduncles are slender and variable in length. Its calyx are about 1/8 inches long, tubular-campanulate in shape, densely hairy, with teeth villous within. Its corolla-lobes are almost equal, flat and spreading, with the upper one shortly bifid. Its stamens protrude equally with the corolla or are slightly exserted.[12]
Distribution
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Mentha cunninghamii is endemic to the four islands of North Island, South Island, Chatham Island and Stewart Island in New Zealand.[6] It is found sparsely in grassy fields and open land generally.[13][14] It inhabits an elevation range from coastal to alpine, within a range of sea level to 4,500 feet (1,400 metres).[12] Sources variously describe its flowering season as beginning in the Southern Hemisphere in either September[4] or November,[15] ending in April.[6]
As of 2018, New Zealand's Department of Conservation's New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) assesses Mentha cunninghamii's conservation status as "At Risk: Declining."[1] The system uses the Declining status to indicate populations that currently possess large populations, but are experiencing declines that could eventually lead to a listing as "Threatened."[16]
Use
Mentha cunninghamii has been used by New Zealand's Māori people as a diaphoretic (meant to induce sweating). The leaves are also used for their scent, including in cooking.[3] It is described as easily cultivatable in many gardens.[17]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Species Details". NZTCS. https://nztcs.org.nz/nztcs-species/1194.
- ↑ "Mentha cunninghamii Benth.". GBIF Secretariat. 2019. https://www.gbif.org/species/3901946.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Mentha cunninghamii. Hioi. New Zealand mint.". Māori Plant Use Database. https://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?PKey=943f94d8-edae-4826-b159-4d4a10de30e5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Taxon Profile - Mentha cunninghamii". Flora of New Zealand. http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/taxon/Mentha-cunninghamii.html.
- ↑ "Mentha cunninghamii (Benth.) Benth.". The Plant List. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-124598.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Lange, P.J.. "Mentha cunninghamii". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/mentha-cunninghamii/.
- ↑ Cheeseman 1906, p. 1095.
- ↑ Cheeseman 1906, p. 1101.
- ↑ "New Zealand mint, Mentha cunninghamii Benth.". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/705414.
- ↑ "mokimoki - Māori Dictionary". Māori Dictionary. https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/4169.
- ↑ Tucker & Naczi 2006, p. 3.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Cheeseman 1906, p. 568.
- ↑ Allan 1961, p. 962.
- ↑ "New Zealand mint Mentha cunninghamii". Rare Species. https://rarespecies.nzfoa.org.nz/species/new-zealand-mint/.
- ↑ Webb, Sykes & Garnock-Jones 1988, p. 782.
- ↑ Townsend, Andrew J.; de Lange, Peter J.; Duffy, Clinton A.J.; Miskelly, Colin M.; Molloy, Janice; Norton, David A. (January 2008) (in en). New Zealand Threat Classification System manual. Wellington, New Zealand: Science & Technical Publishing Department of Conservation. ISBN 9780478143645. http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/sap244.pdf. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ↑ "Mentha cunninghamii". Wai-ora. https://www.wai-ora.nz/product/mentha-cunninghamii.
References
- Cheeseman, Thomas Frederick (1906). Manual of the New Zealand Flora. Wellington: Government Printer. https://books.google.com/books?id=-dM9AAAAYAAJ.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Allan, H.H. (1961). Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons. Flora of New Zealand. 1. Wellington: Government Printer. https://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Taxon.aspx?id=_c37f379d-9d1d-4d1b-973d-ca456a00cff0&fileName=Flora%201.xml.
- Tucker, Arthur O.; Naczi, Robert F. C. (2006-12-13). "Mentha: An Overview of Its Classification and Relationships". in Brian M. Lawrence. Mint: The Genus Mentha. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles (1st ed.). Boca Roton: CRC Press. pp. 1–40. ISBN 978-0-8493-0798-0.
- Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. (1988). Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. Flora of New Zealand. 4. Wellington: Government Printer. https://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Taxon.aspx?id=_341f6288-8cf8-4191-9df9-439a13f38947&fileName=Flora%204.xml.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q15342303 entry
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