Canada Germander
- katemacquarrie22
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
The Mint Family (Lamiaceae) is well represented on PEI, with about 25 species known in the wild (along with a few hybrids and sub-species). Nearly three-quarters of these are exotic, but we do have a handful of lovely native members. The rarest of these – and my favourite – is Canada Germander (Teucrium canadense).
It’s good to have clues that help narrow down the possibilities if you meet an unfamiliar plant. For example, if your plant has a square stem, start with the Mints. Not all plants with square stems are Mints, but all our Mints have square stems, reducing your initial suspect pool from about 1,500 (the number of plant species on PEI) to just a couple of dozen in this Family.
Many of our native Mints are common (or even weedy, like Heal-all [Prunella vulgaris] in my last post), but Canada Germander is more particular about its preferred habitat. While it’s known from disturbed areas elsewhere, here on PEI I’ve only found it in more natural, coastal habitats including Pituamkek (Hog Island), the Murray Harbour islands, and a few sites around Malpeque and Percival Bays.
If you associate Mints with sweet-smelling, edible plants, you’ll be disappointed with Canada Germander. The flowers have virtually no scent and if you crush the leaves you’ll be treated to an unpleasant, somewhat musky odour. If the smell doesn’t deter you from eating it, you can nibble a small bit of leaf to experience an equally-unpleasant taste. While Canada Germander was used traditionally to heal wounds and as a diuretic, it’s now considered toxic.
In Europe, a related plant – Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) – gained popularity as an herbal weight loss supplement in the late 1980s. Within a few years, it had been associated with liver damage in dozens of users, and at least one fatality; two similar (non-fatal) cases are known from Canada. Sale of products containing Wall Germander has since been restricted or banned in several European countries as well as both Canada and the USA. The same compounds that make Wall Germander toxic (neoclerodane diterpenoids) are found in Canada Germander.
While Canada Germander isn’t edible and is no longer recommended for medicinal use, it is ecologically important. Its flowering period lasts several weeks, with blooms starting at the bottom of the spike and maturing in turn towards the top. During this time, it’s used by a range of pollinators including bees, butterflies, flies, moths, and occasionally even Hummingbirds. As a perennial that spreads by rhizomes, it can form extensive patches that help stabilize coastal habitats.
Canada Germander is a beautiful, interesting, and native part of PEI Untamed!
