Mentha

Spear mint Mentha spicata, copyright Burschik.

Belongs within: Lamiaceae.

Mentha, the mints, is a primarily Holarctic genus of aromatic herbs, a number of which are cultivated for culinary use.

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Perennial from rhizomes, glabrous to hairy. Stems generally ascending to erect, generally branched. Leaf petioled to sessile, elliptic, ovate, or lanceolate, toothed to lobed. Inflorescences axillary, each head-like and subtended by leaves, or collectively spike- or panicle-like and by bracts. Flower with calyx more or less radial, generally ten-veined, lobes equal or unequal; corolla more or less two-lipped, lips generally equal, upper lip notched, lower lip three-lobed; stamens 4, more or less equal, generally exserted; style lobes unequal.

<==Mentha Linnaeus 1753 A61
    |--M. aquatica BR65
    |--M. arvensis [incl. M. arvensis var. villosa] H93
    |--M. australis BR65
    |--M. canadensis C55b
    |--M. cunninghamii Benth. in DC. 1848 [=Micromeria cunninghamii Benth. 1832; incl. Me. consimilis Colenso 1886] A61
    |--M. gracilis [incl. M. serpyllifolia] BR65
    |--M. × piperita [M. aquatica × M. spicata] BR65
    |--M. pulegium BR65
    |--M. rotundifolia [=M. spicata var. rotundifolia; incl. M. citrata] H93
    |--M. saturejoides BR65
    |--M. spicata HE80 [incl. M. viridis Linnaeus 1763 BR65]
    |    |--M. s. var. spicata H93
    |    |--M. s. var. longifolia H93
    |    `--M. ‘longifolia’ ssp. typhoides AGF98
    |--M. suaveolens H93
    `--M. sylvestris C55a

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[AGF98] Abd El-Ghani, M. M., & A. G. Fahmy. 1998. Composition of and changes in the spontaneous flora of Feiran Oasis, S Sinai, Egypt, in the last 60 years. Willdenowia 28: 123–134.

[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[BR65] Black, J. M., & E. L. Robertson. 1965. Flora of South Australia. Part IV. Oleaceae–Compositae. W. L. Hawes, Government Printer: Adelaide.

[C55a] Candolle, A. de. 1855a. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 1. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[C55b] Candolle, A. de. 1855b. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[HE80] Healy, A. J., & E. Edgar. 1980. Flora of New Zealand vol. 3. Adventive cyperaceous, petalous and spathaceous monocotyledons. P. D. Hasselberg, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).