The Story of Mint

Mint here means the genus Mentha. Peppermint and spearmint are popular garden examples (UC).

How it was found

Kew prints the native range of Mentha as cosmopolitan. In other words, wild mints are found worldwide.

Jepson eFlora treats the genus as 18 species of temperate North America and Eurasia. Etymology on that page: Latin, an ancient name for mint. Many cultivated and naturalized populations are derived from hybridization, generally polyploid; some are sterile and reproduce from rhizomes. Hybrids in California are generally sterile and spread that way.

UC IPM treats Mentha spp. as a culinary perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). USDA-ARS GRIN lists the genus Mentha L., family Lamiaceae, common name mint.

How people used it

Jepson: cultivated for oils, flavoring, herbs. UC IPM: leaves harvested at any time and used fresh or dried. UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County: peppermint has a higher concentration of menthol than spearmint; peppermint is more often used in candies, chocolates, liqueurs, and teas, while spearmint is popular in savory Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. UC IPM: peppermints tend to be used to flavor dishes while spearmints are eaten fresh.

Peppermint is Mentha × piperita; spearmint is Mentha spicata.

Timeline

1. 1753

   Linnaeus names the genus

   Linnaeus published Mentha in Species Plantarum: 576. Kew accepts the genus.

   Kew POWO — Mentha L.

2. Temperate Northern Hemisphere

   Eighteen species on Jepson

   Jepson eFlora prints 18 species in temperate North America and Eurasia.

   Jepson eFlora — Mentha

3. Cultivation (flora note)

   Oils, flavoring, herbs — and rhizomes

   Jepson prints that Mentha is cultivated for oils, flavoring, and herbs. Hybrids in California are generally sterile and spread from rhizomes. That is why a mint patch can run without setting much seed.

   Jepson eFlora — Mentha

4. UC IPM

   Leaves fresh or dried

   UC IPM names the garden crop Mentha spp., family Lamiaceae, and prints that leaves are used fresh or dried. UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County name peppermint and spearmint as popular garden mints.

   UC IPM; UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County

Cool to know

Growing notes for this plant live on the Plant Wiki.