Some ecological characteristics of Mentha mozaffarianii Z.Jamzad, a medicinal species in Hormozgan Province

Mentha mozaffarianii Z.Jamzad is traditionally used from ancient times for diarrhea, stomachache, meteorism, and headache and as coolness. This study was carried out to determine some ecological characteristics of Mentha mozaffarianii Z.Jamzad in Hormozgan Province. The study sites were selected based on our field observations and also the spatial distribution of major habitats of the species in study area. The climatic factors were obtained from the nearest climatology station to selected sites. The growth parameters of the species were studied using 20 transects, each 50 m in length. Every 10 m along each transect, we selected the nearest individual and measured plant height, plant diameters (the largest and the smallest), and also plant cover. In addition, we took two soil samples (depth of 0-30 cm) from each studied sites and determined physico-chemical properties of the soil in the lab. One-way ANOVA followed by Duncan multiple comparison tests (=0.05) was used to test for the significant differences between studied sites. Results showed that this species is mainly distributed in river beds of mountainous areas which ranged in elevation from 250 to 2400 m a.s.l. and have a moderate and dry desert climate regime. Also, the main soil types in major habitats of this species were loam, loamy-sand and sandy-loam ranged in PH from 7.27 to 8.10 and EC from 1.01 to 4.45 ds/m.