Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) is a herb and species of mint, native to Corsica, Sardinia, and mainland Italy, and naturalized in Portugal and in the British Isles. It is a very low-growing species with bright green leaves and a strong minty aroma.
This ornamental mint is perfect for filling baskets, flowerpots, and sunny garden patches with strongly scented, easy-grow color that lasts all season. That's because the seeds are packed into pellets, with each pellet producing several seedlings. Now you don't have to worry about sowing multiple seeds, thinning young plants, and all that. Just stick one pellet in a 4-inch pot and before you know it, you'll have bright green shoots spilling over the sides and more peppermint scent than the day before Christmas!
Corsican mint is one of the smallest members of the mint family. It grows to 2-4 inches tall, with small oval leaves 1/4" long and tiny mauve flowers in July and August that are insect pollinated. It has a strong aroma of peppermint.
It can be used in landscaping as a bedding plant, giving out a desirable mint smell when trodden on. Because it can indeed be walked upon without dying, it is sometimes used to line walkways, growing between stepping stones. Unlike most other cultivated mints, this plant stays diminutive and thrives in shady garden areas. However, if given too much moisture the leaves will rot. The best way to avoid this is to let the plant dry out between waterings, but not too much, because it is drought-sensitive.
Corsican mint, along with pennyroyal, is thought to be one of the best mints to grow as a companion to brassica plants like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, et cetera. It repels certain pest insects, in part by obscuring the smell of the crop to be protected, and may also enhance flavor.
This plant is also used in cuisine, most famously as the flavoring in creme de menthe. It is sometimes said to have a scent similar to pennyroyal.
In traditional medicine this plant has been used as an antiseptic, a carminative and a febrifuge. The smell of mint is disliked by rats and mice and this plant has been used for strewing on the floor to deter rodents.
Each multi-seed pellet contains several seeds and produces healthy corsican mint plants for the windowsill or garden. Just a couple of pellet fills a 5" inch pot, or three for a 6" pot, with no seed broadcasting or scoops across the soil.