Kissin' Cousins

Day 305: Observing Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium, left) and Peppermint (Mentha x piperita, right), you would be correct in assuming that their similar characteristics meant they were related. However true that may be in this case, it is not always a safe assumption. As botanical research has entered a new phase with the advent of genetic testing and DNA sampling, we are finding that many species we thought were related based on shared morphology such as flower/leaf shape are actually not related at all, and in other cases, plants we thought were distinctly different species and sometimes even different genera are in fact close kin. This is all very exciting if you're a taxonomist, job security at the very least. For the rest of us, though, it's a major headache as we try to update our field guides with new nomenclature and attempt to readjust our aging brains to accept new names in replacement of the ones we've used for decades. Even the Peppermint shown above has not escaped revision. Once thought to be a distinct species (M. piperita), we now know that it is a hybrid of two or more "kissin' cousins," hence the "x" given as its middle name.

Pennyroyal

Day 224: Pennyroyal "is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Crushed pennyroyal leaves emit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional folk remedy, emmenagogue, abortifacient, and culinary herb, but is toxic to the liver and has caused some deaths," to quote Wikipedia, referring to ingestion of the plant. There are some words in there it might do well to remember in these troubled times, but the reason I grow it is not included in that description. Mentha pulegium is nature's own insect repellent. Before I had a cedar chest, I used to store a pennyroyal sachet in my bags of raw wool, in my sweater drawer and among my wool hiking socks. The fragrance is quite pungent, as mentioned above, so it should be used sparingly. A small packet containing no more than a tablespoon of the dried herb is sufficient to keep the critters from eating your socks and sweaters.