Mentha spicata - Spear Mint - (Lamiaceae)

This plant is a naturalised garden escape which is now widespread throughout the UK and Ireland except in the far north.

Spear Mint is the most commonly grown of the garden mint species, and if not controlled, quickly spreads and dominates the herb patch. It is equally successful when growing in the wild and can form large colonies in the right habitat - see below.

Spear Mint

Spear Mint has, unsurprisingly in view of its common name, a spear shaped terminal flower (at the top of the stem), while Corn Mint is easily distinguished from the other two because it does not have a flower head at the terminal. It likes damp meadows and roadside ditches.

Closeup of Spear Mint flowers

The specimens on this page were photographed at Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve in Anglesey, North Wales in September.