This species of mint looks like many of the others but it is quite hairy and the teeth of the leaves bend underneath making the leaf appear blunt when viewed from above. It is also supposed to have a sickly scent but I didn't notice that. Many of the mints have a characteristic scent when the leaves are crushed but the problem with that characteristic is how to describe it. All you can say generally is that a scent is sweet or nasty but otherwise you have to compare it with what you hope is another well known scent.

M. suaveolens is scattered all over England with most records in the south west and the English/Welsh borders. Records become fewer as you go north into norrthern England then Scotland where it is scarce. In Ireland it is commonest alog the southern coastal regions.

Banks of the River Wye Near Monmouth 6th September 2005

Added on September 18th 2005, updated 2nd January 2011