Korean Mint is a perennial herb with stiff, serrated leaves.
The plant is self-fertile, and will grow up to 3 feet (1 metre) tall, but is best pinched back and kept at half that height
It is not a real mint, but its leaves and flowers have a smell somewhere between licorice and spearmint.
The plant blooms for a long time, producing a flower spike of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) that can sometimes last from July through to October.
The leaves and flowers can be used for tea, or dried for sachets and potpourris.
When eaten fresh, the leaves can be somewhat coarse and too strong.
History Notes
Native to Asia. Grows wild in Japan.