Question

mystery plant 1  

mystery plant 2   I volunteer at a community garden, and for years we've been growing and selling a plant as 'round leaved mint'. Today, someone said it might be pennyroyal! Obviously, if this is the case then we need to stop selling it as a cullinary herb immediately, as it is poisonous and can cause miscarriage.

However, I have been searching Google for hours and have failed to make a positive ID on this thing one way or another, because there are just so many varieties of mint and pennyroyal, and they can hybridise too.

It smells just like Trebor mints or toothpaste, has very round (definitely not oval) leaves with a very thin edge of purple, and square purple upright stems, and it's very invasive. Can you help?

Answer
Sonya:
I believe that this sounds like pennyroyal.The mint does not sound like peppermint or spearmint from seed. The kentucky colonel spearmint is stronger.It is true about pennyroyal being unsafe to ingest. Good as insect protection on your pets.

Hope this helps.
Leroy