Florida Pennyroyal

One of the plants we added to our new Woodland Wildflower Garden is Florida Pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida). This is one of the few plants we didn’t find here onsite; instead, we purchased it from a local native plant nursery. Florida Pennyroyal a low-growing evergreen member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), and the foliage has the smell of mint crossed with sage. The small delicately-detailed flowers, seen in spring and sometimes fall, have a sweet scent and draw many small pollinators.

Florida Pennyroyal, sometimes called False Pennyroyal, was first noted by famed Florida botanist explorer William Bartram and later officially documented by English botanist George Bentham. It is found throughout peninsular Florida and in only a few south Georgia counties, in open woodland areas or sandhills. Fortunately, this nearly-endemic species is doing well both in the wild and in cultivation, and is available for sale at most native plant nurseries.

Florida Pennyroyal shouldn't be confused with several of its close cousins with similar common names. All belong to the family Lamiaceae, but are distinctly different:

• Mock Pennyroyal (Stachydeoma graveolens) is found in only a few counties in the Florida panhandle, whereas Florida Pennyroyal is found only in peninsular Florida.
• American False Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides) is found in the Northeastern U.S. but not as far south as Florida.
• The most famous Pennyroyal of all, Mentha pulegium, is native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is this pennyroyal that has well known medicinal applications throughout history, beginning with Pliny the Elder in Roman times.