5.2 Perennials

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PERENNIALS 55 Mentha L. mint, menthe per. Jul-Sep 90 cm Value for honey: HP5 16; among the most attractive of cultivated herbs 35 ; where these are (or were) grown commercially (e.g. formerly in Mich.), surplus H has been recorded from this source 72 . Honey: classed as amber; fine granulation; sharp aroma 16 . Notes: grown as a herb or garden ornamental; moist, fertile soil in partial shade preferred; some "wild" mints provide nesting material for the alfalfa leaf-cutting bee (Megachile rotunda) 54 ; about 600 spp. have been named, but these are probably variants or hybrids of about 25 well-defined spp. (most native to Europe) 54 . Mentha arvensis L. field mint, menthe commun, baume des champs per. -29° to -23° C Jul-Aug 60 cm N 35 Notes: often grown in a kitchen garden and the leaves used to spice beverages; our only indigenous N. American sp. of mint, having a variable appearance and found in most provinces. Mentha x piperita L. (: M. aquatica x M. spicata) peppermint, menthe poivrde per. -37° to -29° C Aug-Oct 30-60 cm Value for honey: considerable crops of mint H are secured where this is grown commercially 72 (e.g. presently grown as a crop in Ore.); H yield of 90 kg/colony/season reported from more than 160 ha of this crop (i.e. Wash.) 50 ; see Mentha. Honey: see Mentha. Notes: vigorous perennial, spreading by stolons; flowers are purple and borne in terminal spikes; has escaped from cultivation to brooksides, wet meadows etc.; should be cut to the ground every few years to keep it neat; in a good season, mint fields yield 20 kg mint oil/ha 72 ; var. citrala (J.F. Ehrh.) Brig., bergamot mint or lemon mint, has herbage with characteristic lemon odour when crushed. Mentha pulegium L. pennyroyal, pudding grass, menthe pouliot, herbage de St. Laurent per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Aug(?) prostrate Value for honey: see Mentha. Honey: H is sometimes used for "starting" or "seeding" when making creamed H because of its fine grain (e.g. in N.Z. is used for making creamed H) 91 ; see Mentha. Notes: useful as a ground cover, small blue flowers; also a medicinal herb. Mentha requienii Benth. Corsican mint, menthella, creme de menthe plant per. -21° to -15° C Jul-Aug 8 cm N 35 Value for honey: see Mentha. Honey: see Mentha. Notes: a very delicate, tiny leaved ground clover; full sun and moist soil.
56 PERENNIALS Mentha spicata L. (syn. Mentha longifolia of auth., not (L.) Huds.) spearmint, baume, menthe crepue, menthe verte per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Aug 60 cm N Value for honey: an important source where this is naturalized 72 . Honey: see Mentha. Notes: widely cultivated as a sweet herb and for essential oils; found in wet places, near habitation throughout Canada 23 . Monarda punctata L. horsemint, bergamot, dotted mint per. -21° to -15° C Jul 90 cm N Value for honey: H yields of 9-45 kg/colony/season reported 50; a dependable yielder 72 ; some of the other bergamots (e.g. M. didyma L., bee balm or Oswega tea) have corollas too long to allow the honeybee to successfully reach the N 72 . Honey: is light amber in colour, clear, flavour is decidedly minty 72 . Notes: more common in e. Canada; sometimes cultivated; flowers are yellow and purple; prefers light to sandy soil. Muscari botryoides (L.) Mill. common grape hyacinth, muscari botryoide per. (bulb) -50° to -29° C Apr-May 30 cm NP 36 Value for honey and pollen: very attractive to honeybees 35 . Notes: will colonize in grass; easy culture; found naturally in pastures, fields, roadsides and fence-rows, spread from cultivation, N.E. and beyond Can. limit 23 . Myosotis scorpioides L. true forget me not, myosotis, ne m'oubliez pas, souvenez vous de moi per. (short lived) -37° to -29° C May-Jun 30-80 cm NP Notes: could be mixed with the cv. semperfiorens which blooms from Jul-Aug; in quiet water or wet ground, Nfld. to Ont., S. to N.S., N.E. also Pacific coast 23 . Nepeta cataria L. catnip, catmint, chataire, herbe a chats per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Sep 90 cm N Value for honey: HP4/5 16 ; one of the best garden bee plants known 35 . In spite of a low N sugar concentration (i.e. 22%), bees have been observed to visit catnip even when they have access to Melilotus alba (white sweet clover) 94 . Each flower secretes only a small amount of N, but when massed, they invite a large number of foraging bees 94 . Honey: disagreement about colour, granulates smoothly; flavour is piquant 16 . Notes: grown as a garden ornamental and not as a herb; relished by cats as well as bees (i.e. the former like to roll in it); spreads naturally along some roadsides; flowers white and pale purple; weeds of old homesteads, gardens and waste land 23. Nepeta mussinii K. Spreng. ex Henckl. per. -37° to -29° C (?) Jun-Aug 30-45 cm N Value for honey: HP5 16 ; similar to Nepeta cataria L. (catmint). Notes: confused in the trade (i.e. by nurseries and garden centres) with what is now termed N. x faassenii Bergman ex Steam (Persian ground ivy), but differs in being
Page 1 and 2: 36 5.2 Perennials PERENNIALS Agasta
Page 3 and 4: 38 Anemone blanda Schott R. Kotschy
Page 5 and 6: 40 PERENNIALS Lindl. (w. Nfld., Gas
Page 7 and 8: 42 PERENNIALS Aurina saxatilis (L)
Page 9 and 10: 44 PERENNIALS Claytonia virginica L
Page 11 and 12: 46 PERENNIALS Dictamnus albus L. bu
Page 13 and 14: 48 PERENNIALS Honey: usually mixed
Page 15 and 16: 50 PERENNIALS Helianthus salicifoli
Page 17 and 18: 52 PERENNIALS Liatris pychnostchya
Page 19: 54 waste land, locally N. to N.E.,
Page 23 and 24: 58 and beyond Can. lirnits 23 . PER
Page 25 and 26: 60 Notes: includes about 250 spp. o
Page 27 and 28: 62 PERENNIALS Solidago L. goldenrod
Page 29 and 30: 64 PERENNIALS on calcareous ledges
Page 31 and 32: 66 PERENNIALS Trifolium repens L. w
Page 33 and 34: 5. DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANTS 5.1 Annua
Page 35 and 36: 18 Value for pollen: P protein is h
Page 37 and 38: 20 Honey: is greenish-yellow to dar
Page 39 and 40: 22 Coriandrum sativum L. coriander,
Page 41 and 42: 24 This is one of the few plants th
Page 43 and 44: 26 Isatis tinctoria L. dyer's woad,
Page 45 and 46: 28 vanilla 16 ; excellent 35 . Note
Page 47 and 48: 30 Origanum majorana L. (syn. Major
Page 49 and 50: 32 flavour 16 . Notes: self-seeds f
Page 51 and 52: 34 form); is a legume and so fixes

5.2 Perennials

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