At first sight, you don’t immediately recognize Hart's pennyroyal as typical representative of the mints as its leaves are narrowly lance-shaped and, therefore, visually clearly different from the peppermint. The blossoms are arranged in whorls around the stem and, thereby, look very decorative. It blooms pink-violet and seldomly white, as well. The scent of leaves and blossoms is, however, unique and leaves no doubt that Hart’s pennyroyal belongs to the mint family.
The flavour is actually very strong and intense, which is to be traced back to a raised pulegone content. The Hart’s pennyroyal can, as a result, also be applied as a repellent against stinging insects. Pulegone is, however, harmful to human health if it’s taken in large amounts. Therefore, Hart’s pennyroyal shouldn’t be consumed in large amounts.
In nature, Hart’s pennyroyal primarily grows in wetlands like on shores of rivers and ponds or also on wet meadows. As especially wet meadows get rarer and rarer, it is on the Red List of endangered species. In the garden, as well, the plant prefers a moist location.
