Mentha requienii Benth., Corsican Mint
Account Summary
Introduction, neophyte, garden escape, very rare.
1952; MCM & D; Castle Coole Estate.
Growth form and preferred habitats
This absolutely prostrate, Mediterranean mint with tiny, thyme-like, oval leaves not more than 6 mm long, forms low-growing, dense perennial mats by means of its distinctive, slender, thread-like, creeping stems that root at intervals. It is endemic to Corsica, Sardinia and the Italian island of Montecristo and was first introduced to decorative alpine and rock gardens in B & I in 1829 (K. Walker, in: Preston et al. 2002). It is now frequently cultivated for its pleasant, pungent peppermint-like scent. Gardeners nowadays tend to grow it in cracks in paving, where trampling releases its intense aroma. The plant produces small, 1.6 mm diameter, lavender or pink flowers in 2- to 6-flowered whorls or clusters in June and July. It spreads quickly but avoids dry soils. M. requienii seeds itself and occasionally escapes onto damp paths, relatively bare grassy ground and rocky places (Farrer 1930; Grey-Wilson 1989; Clement & Foster 1994).
First British and Irish records in the wild
Corsican Mint was first recorded in the wild in Castletownsend, Co Cork (H3), outside the wall of Lord Bantry's demesne (More 1872), where it still persists (Cat Alien Pl Ir). In England, it first appeared ex-garden in Cumbria in 1890 (VC70)(Halliday 1997).
Fermanagh occurrence
M. requienii has only been recorded once in a non-garden setting in Fermanagh, when it was described as being, "abundant on shaded paths", on the Castle Coole Estate in 1952 (Revised Typescript Flora).
Irish occurrence
M. requienii is very rare in Ireland, but it has been recorded at some time at least once in four other Irish VCs listed in Cat Alien Pl Ir, namely W Cork (H3), W Galway (H16), Tyrone (H36) and Co Armagh (H37). The New Atlas map for Ireland shows a total of just eight hectads scattered across the whole island. Habitats include on a peaty bank at the head of Killary Harbour in W Galway (H16) and on the north slope of Slieve Gullion, Co Armagh (H37) (Clement & Foster 1994).
British occurrence
M. requienii is also very rare in ex-garden settings in Britain, but the New Atlas hectad map shows it extends from Jersey and the Scilly Isles to as far north as Angus in NE Scotland (VC 90). There are a total of 43 hectads with records in Britain, including three in the Isle of Man (VC 71) (K. Walker, in: Preston et al. 2002). It is established in scattered localities across Britain, including in a few woodlands in the south.