New Zealand mint facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New Zealand mint, Māori mint |
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| Conservation status | |
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Invalid status (NZ TCS)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mentha
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| Species: |
cunninghamii
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| Synonyms | |
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Mentha cunninghamii, also known as New Zealand mint or Māori mint, is a special type of mint plant. It's found only on four islands in New Zealand. Even though it smells like other mints, it looks quite different!
Contents
What's in a Name?
This plant was named after a famous English botanist (a scientist who studies plants) named Allan Cunningham. He was well-known for collecting many plants in Australia and New Zealand.
The Māori people, who are the native people of New Zealand, have their own names for this plant. Some of these names include hīoi, moki, and mokimoki. It's interesting to note that mokimoki is also a name used for some types of ferns that are not related to mint at all!
What Does it Look Like?
Mentha cunninghamii smells like other mints, but its appearance is quite unique. Some scientists even think it might be more closely related to plants in the Micromeria group than to other mints.
This plant is slender and wiry. It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It grows low to the ground and spreads out with special underground stems called rhizomes. Many branches grow from these rhizomes, often forming a matted shape. The stems can grow from about 5 to 30 centimeters (2 to 12 inches) long.
Its leaves are small, usually between 0.4 and 1.2 centimeters (1/6 to 1/2 inch) long. They are shaped like broad ovals or almost round. The leaves are often covered with tiny dots that contain oils, giving them their minty scent.
The flowers are tiny and white. They usually grow alone where the leaves meet the stem, but sometimes you can find two or three flowers together. The flowers have small, bell-shaped cups called calyxes that are hairy. The petals are almost equal in size and spread out flat.
Where Does it Grow?
Mentha cunninghamii is found only in New Zealand. It grows on the North Island, South Island, Chatham Island, and Stewart Island. You can often spot it in grassy fields and open areas. It can grow in many different places, from close to the sea level all the way up to high mountain areas, about 1,370 meters (4,500 feet) above sea level.
In the Southern Hemisphere, this plant usually starts to flower in September or November and continues to bloom until April.
As of 2018, New Zealand's Department of Conservation has listed Mentha cunninghamii as "At Risk: Declining." This means that while there are still many of these plants, their numbers are slowly going down. If this trend continues, they could become "Threatened" in the future.
How People Use It
The Māori people have traditionally used Mentha cunninghamii for its special properties. They used it as a diaphoretic, which is something that helps you sweat.
The leaves of this plant are also valued for their lovely scent. People use them in cooking to add a minty flavor to dishes. It's also known to be an easy plant to grow in many gardens, so you might even see it growing near you!
Images for kids
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Mentha cunninghamii growing in the Waitakere Ecological District, Auckland
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