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Mentha

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Plants

                  iMentha
   Mentha longifolia
   Mentha longifolia
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Order:    Lamiales
   Family:   Lamiaceae
   Genus:    Mentha
             L.

                                   Species

   See text
   Mint Leaves
   Enlarge
   Mint Leaves
   Chocolate Mint
   Enlarge
   Chocolate Mint

   Mentha (mint) is a genus of about 25-30 species of flowering plants in
   the family Lamiaceae, with a subcosmopolitan distribution, seven from
   Australia, one in North America, and the others from Europe and Asia;
   several hybrids also occur.

   According to Greek mythology, the plant was named after Minthe.

   They are aromatic perennial herbs, growing to 10-120 cm tall, with
   wide-spreading underground rhizomes and erect, branched stems. The
   leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, simple oblong to lanceolate,
   often downy, and with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced in
   clusters ('verticils') on an erect spike, white to purple, the corolla
   two-lipped with four subequal lobes, the upper lobe usually the
   largest. The fruit is a small dry capsule containing 1-4 seeds.

   Species

     * Mentha aquatica – Water mint, or Marsh mint
     * Mentha arvensis – Corn Mint, Wild Mint and Japanese Peppermint
     * Mentha arvensis var. sachalinensis" - Sachalin Mint
     * Mentha asiatica
     * Mentha australis
     * Mentha canadensis (syn. M. arvensis var. canadensis)
     * Mentha cervina
     * Mentha citrata (syn. M. odorata) – Bergamot mint (smells like
       Bergamot)
     * Mentha crispata
     * Mentha cunninghamii
     * Mentha dahurica
     * Mentha diemenica
     * Mentha gattefossei
     * Mentha grandiflora
     * Mentha haplocalyx
     * Mentha japonica
     * Mentha kopetdaghensis
     * Mentha laxiflora
     * Mentha longifolia - Horse Mint
     * Mentha pulegium – Pennyroyal
     * Mentha requienii – Corsican mint
     * Mentha sachalinensis
     * Mentha satureioides
     * Mentha spicata (syn. M. viridis) – Spearmint, Curly mint
     * Mentha suaveolens (syn. M. rotundifolia) – Apple mint (smells like
       apples) and Pineapple mint (a variegated cultivar of Apple mint)
     * Mentha vagans

   Selected hybrids

     * Mentha × dalmatica (M. arvensis × M. longifolia)
     * Mentha × dumetorum (M. aquatica × M. longifolia)
     * Mentha × gracilis (M. arvensis × M. spicata) - Bushy Mint
     * Mentha × maximilianea (M. aquatica × M. suaveolens)
     * Mentha × muelleriana (M. arvensis × M. suaveolens)
     * Mentha × piperita (M. aquatica × M. spicata) – Peppermint,
       Chocolate mint
     * Mentha × rotundifolia (M. longifolia × M. suaveolens) - False
       Apple-mint
     * Mentha x smithiana (M. aquatica × M. arvensis × M. spicata)
     * Mentha × verticillata (M. arvensis × M. aquatica)
     * Mentha × villosa (M. spicata × M. suaveolens; syn. M. cordifolia) -
       Apple-mint
     * Mentha x villosonervata (M. longifolia × M. spicata) -
       Sharp-toothed Mint

   Mints are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species
   including Buff Ermine.

Cultivation and uses

   Mints are generally vigorous, spreading plants that tolerate a wide
   range of conditions, but thrive where there's abundance of water. They
   can be highly invasive plants, so caution should be taken in
   cultivation or it can take over an entire garden.

   The most common and popular mints for cultivation are peppermint
   (Mentha × piperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and (more recently)
   pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens). The dark green leaves have a
   pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste.
   Mint essential oils are used to flavor food, candy, teas, breath
   fresheners, antiseptic mouth rinses, and toothpaste. Mint leaves are
   used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, and ice creams. In
   Mid-Eastern cuisines, mint is used on lamb dishes. In British cuisine,
   mint sauce is popular with lamb. Mint leaves generally refer to dried
   spearmint leaves. Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint have a much stronger
   odour and flavor, and potentially harmful medicinal effects. Pennyroyal
   resembles the other mints, but Corsican mint is unusual in the fact
   that it is a low, mossy ground-covering plant. The pineapple mint is
   particularly mild and popular.

   Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavourings in
   drinks, chewing gum and desserts/ candies; see mint (candy) and mint
   chocolate. The substances that give the mints their characteristic
   aromas and flavours are:
     * menthol: the main aroma of Spearmint, Peppermint, and Japanese
       Peppermint (a major commercial source).
     * pulegone: in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint.

   The mint family, Lamiaceae, includes many other aromatic herbs,
   including most of the more common cooking herbs, including basil,
   rosemary, sage, oregano, and catnip. In common usage, several other
   plants with fragrant leaves may be erroneously called a mint.
   Vietnamese Mint, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, is not a
   member of the mint family. In Central and South America, mint is known
   as yerbabuena (literally, "good herb"), and in Pakistan, it's called
   Podeena.

Medicinal and cosmetic uses

   Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and
   chest pains. During the middle ages, powdered mint leaves were used to
   whiten teeth. Mint tea is a strong diuretic. Mint also aids digestion.

   Menthol is an ingredient of many cosmetics and perfumes. Menthol and
   mint essential oil are also much used in medicine as component of many
   drugs, and are very popular in aromatherapy. A common use is as an
   antipruritic, especially in insect bite treatments (often along with
   camphor).

   It is also used in cigarettes as an additive, because it blocks out the
   bitter taste of tobacco and soothes the throat.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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