Mentha

Spearmint, spearmint or Krause forest mint ( Mentha spicata L.) ( syn. Mentha spicata var crispa ), illustration.

The mints (Mentha ) is a plant genus of the family Lamiaceae ( Lamiaceae). Most of depending on the source about 20 to about 30 species are native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere; in the southern hemisphere (Australia and Africa ) occur only a few species. All mints species usually thrive in damp locations.

• 6.1 propagation

Etymology

The West Germanic mint plant name ( Middle High German minz, Old High German Minza, English mint ) based on a borrowing from the Latin word menta. This word, in turn, is brought into a relationship with the Greek nymph Minthe.

Description

Mint species are aromatic and perennial herbaceous plants with underground runners or rhizomes. They usually have simple or branched hairs ( trichomes ). The upright to creeping stems may be branched. The against-constant leaves are simple and usually have a toothed or serrated edge. A petiole may be present.

The flowers are arranged in mostly many-flowered Scheinquirlen that form the broken pseudo-spikes with leafy bracts or dense pseudo-spikes with small bracts. The medium sized flowers are hermaphroditic to unisexual and functional zygomorph double perianth. Functionally unisexual flowers come in many species are common; particularly male- sterile flowers occur in up to 40 % or even more individuals of a population. The five unequal sepals are fused to Roehrig bell-shaped. The five predominantly white to pink petals are fused and only weakly bilabiate. The upper lip is usually as large as one of the three lobes of the lower lip. Thereby, the flower seems almost regularly vierspaltig. There are only four unequal stamens present, which protrude significantly from the corolla tube. The two carpels are fused into a superior ovaries; it is divided by false septa into four chambers; each of the four chambers contains only one ovule. The protruding from the corolla tube style ends biramose. In some species the flowers are vormännlich ( Proterandrie ).

The fruit is divided into four small, Klaus Klausen, which are ovoid to spherical with a smooth or distinctly reticulated surface.

Ecology

Pollination is mostly by kurzrüsseligen insects such as flies. The spread of the seeds via the water ( Hydrochorie ).

Systematics and distribution

Most species are native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere in both Eurasia and North America; in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia and in the capensis occur only a few species. Some species or cultivars are invasive plants worldwide.

The genus name Mentha was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, Volume 2, page 576. Synonyms for Mentha L. are: Preslia Opiz and Pulegium Mill

The delimitation of species is difficult because they tend to form natural hybrids ( hybrids ). So there is a wealth of synonyms can often be found in botanical and horticultural literature. There are about 25 to 30 valid species:

• Mentha alaica Boriss. Home is Central Asia.
• Water mint ( Mentha aquatica L., Syn: among many other Mentha acuta Opiz, Mentha acutata Opiz, Mentha palustris Mill ): It is native to Europe, Macaronesia, Africa and the Middle East.
• Field mint (Mentha arvensis L., Syn: Mentha austriaca Jacq, Mentha gentilis L., among others. ): It is circumpolar native to temperate regions of North America and Eurasia, as well as with Malaysia's tropical Asia.
• Mentha asiatica Boriss. ( Syn: Mentha longifolia var asiatica ( Boriss. ) Rech.f. ): The home is located in Western Asia, southern Siberia, Central Asia, northern India and north-western China.
• Mentha australis R.Br. ( Syn: Micromeria australis Benth. ): The home is located in eastern Australia.
• Mentha canadensis L. ( syn.. Mentha arvensis f glabrata ( Fernald ) SRStewart, Mentha arvensis f piperascens Malinv ex Holmes, Mentha arvensis var glabrata Fernald, Mentha arvensis var piperascens Malinv ex LHBailey, Mentha haplocalyx Briq. . , Mentha pedunculata Hu & Tsai, Mentha sachalinensis ( Briq. ) Kudo, Mentha terebinthinacea Willd ex Steud ): .. . The home is located in North America, Southeast Asia and East Asia.
• Mentha caucasica Gand.
• Stag mint ( Mentha cervina L.; Syn: .. Mentha multifida Stokes, Mentha punctata Moench, Preslia cervina (L.) Fresen, Preslia glabriflora Opiz, Preslia villiflora Opiz and Pulegium cervinum ( L.) Mill ): it is located in France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, and in the Azores.
• Mentha cordifolia Opiz ( run by sources other than Mentha spicata synonym of L.)
• Mentha cunninghamii Benth. ( Syn. Mentha consimils Colenso, Micromeria cunninghamii Benth. ): The home is New Zealand.
• Mentha dahurica fish. ex Benth. ( Syn: .. Calamintha ussuriensis Regel & Maack, Mentha origanoides Maxim ex Trautv ( for formal reasons invalid) ): it is in southern Siberia, in the southern part of the Russian Far East, in northeast China's Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol and widespread in Japan.
• Mentha darvasica Boriss. The home is Tajikistan.
• Mentha diemenica explosive. , The home is the south-eastern Australia.
• Mentha gattefossei Maire: The home is Morocco.
• Mentha grandiflora Benth. The home is located in the Australian state of Queensland.
• Mentha haplocalyx Briq. (to be conducted in other sources as a synonym of Mentha canadensis L.)
• Mentha insularis Req. (to be conducted in other sources as a synonym for Mentha Mentha suaveolens subsp requienii Benth and insularis ( Req. ) Greuter. . ): The home of the Mediterranean islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic Islands.
• Mentha japonica ( Miq. ) Makino ( Syn: Micromeria japonica Miq. ): The home of the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu.
• Mentha kopetdaghensis Boriss. The home is located in the Central Asian Turkmenistan.
• Mentha laxiflora Benth. The home is located in the South Eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria.
• Ross- mint or Langblättrige Mint (Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds, Syn. Mentha sylvestris L.): It is distributed in Eurasia and Africa. Mentha longifolia subsp. capensis ( Thunb. ) Briq. ( Syn. Mentha capensis Thunb. ): The range extends from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
• Mentha longifolia subsp. hymalaiensis Briq. ( Syn: . Mentha royleana Wall ex Benth. ): It is spread by Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, the north-western India and Nepal to Tibet.
• Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. subsp. longifolia ( syn. Mentha candicans Mill, Mentha spicata var longifolia L.)
• Mentha longifolia subsp. polyadenia ( Briq. ) Briq. ( Syn. Mentha sylvestris subsp polyadenia Briq. . ): It is distributed in southern Africa.
• Mentha longifolia subsp. typhoid ( Briq. ) Harley ( syn.. Mentha sylvestris subsp typhoid Briq. ): The home is located in Western Asia.
• Mentha longifolia subsp. wissii ( Launert ) Codd ( syn. Mentha wissii Launert ): It is distributed in southern Africa.

• Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. subsp. insularis ( Req. ) Greuter ( syn. Mentha insularis Req. ): The home is located in Italy with Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica with France and Spain.
• Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. subsp. suaveolens
• Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. subsp. timija ( Briq. ) Harley ( syn. Mentha timija Briq. ): The home is Morocco.

Natural hybrids

• Carinthian mint ( Mentha × carinthiaca host = M. arvensis × M. suaveolens ): The home is located in Hungary, France and Spain. In the Belgium-Luxembourg region, the hybrids is considered extinct.
• Dalmatian mint ( Mentha × dalmatica exchange = M. arvensis × M. longifolia)
• Shrub mint ( Mentha × dumetorum Schult. = M. aquatica × M. longifolia)
• Stainless mint, brown mint, mint noodle or Birkenblättrige ginger mint ( Mentha × gracilis Sole = M. arvensis × M. spicata, syn: Mentha cardiaca × J.Gerard ex Baker, Mentha x gentilis auct. )
• Mentha × kuemmerlei Trautm. ( Syn: Mentha × tutinii P.Silva ) = M. aquatica × M. spicata × M. suaveolens: The home is Hungary.
• Mentha × locyana Borbás = M. longifolia × M. verticillata: The home is Hungary.
• Mentha × maximilianea FWSchultz = M. aquatica × M. suaveolens ( syn. Mentha suavis cast. )
• Mentha × muelleriana FWSchultz = M. arvensis × M. suaveolens ( syn. Mentha carinthiaca auct. )
• Peppermint ( Mentha × piperita L. M. aquatica × M. spicata =, Syn. Mentha lavanduliodora ined ): Mentha × piperita nothosubsp. citrata ( Ehrh. ) Briq. ( Syn. Mentha citrata Ehrh, Mentha × piperita var citrata ( Ehrh. ) Briq. . )
• Mentha × piperita nothosubsp. piperita = M. aquatica × M. spicata subsp. spicata
• Mentha × piperita nothosubsp. pyramidalis ( Ten. ) Harley = M. aquatica × M. spicata subsp. tomentosa ( syn. Mentha pyramidalis Ten. )

No longer belongs to the genus:

• Mentha cablin Blanco ⇒ Indian patchouli ( Pogostemon cablin ( Blanco ) Benth. )

Catnip ( Nepeta cataria ) and horse mint ( Monarda punctata ) do not belong to the genus of mints (Mentha ).

Diseases

On all Mentha species and varieties of the rust fungus Puccinia menthae occurs. He makes no host changes, therefore take place at all stages of development Mentha.

Use

Mints are grown in gardens for a long time. 812 wrote Charlemagne already four mint species for cultivation in gardens in his kingdom (see Karl garden): Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium ), water mint ( Mentha aquatica ), ears of corn mint (Mentha spicata ), and Ross- mint ( Mentha longifolia).

Walahfrid Strabo wrote in the 9th century, in his book Liber de cultura hortorum (short Hortulus ) on mint varieties:

" But if anyone would be able the forces and types and names of the mint / one and all to name particularly, it would have the same even / know how many fish in the Red Sea swim well / or how many sparks Volcano, the melting god of Lemnos, / sends up into the air from the huge meal of Aetna. "

As a spice and herbs of tea relevant mint varieties often have names that indicate the taste similarity with other plants:

• Apple mint ( Mentha suaveolens ) - ( apple pie scent ): When Apple Mint, the similarity is that it goes well with apple, for example as apple pie spice instead of cinnamon.
• Basil Mint - (basil -scented )
• Bergamot mint ( Mentha × piperita var citrata ) - ( bergamot )
• Orange mint ( Mentha × piperita var citrata ) - ( Orange )
• Lemon mint (Mentha × piperita var citrata ) - ( Lemon ) (Note lemon balm sounds similar to, but not one of the mints and is not meant with lemon mint. )

• Chocolate mint ( Mentha × piperita var piperita ) - ( mint chocolate smell)
• As Nanaminze several varieties are known.
• Brown mint or noodle mint ( Mentha × gracilis = M. arvensis × M. spicata, syn: Mentha cardiaca × J.Gerard ex Baker, Mentha x gentilis auct. ) Is used for the preparation of the Carinthian noodles.

Propagation

Most Mentha species can be quite easy propagate by cuttings. For vigorous shoots are long finger cut off and placed in moist soil for rooting, or the engine is first allowed to take root in the water glass and planted later in well- moistened soil.

Swell

• Xi -wen Li, Ian C. Hedge: Mentha. In: Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven (eds.): Flora of China. Volume 17: Verbenaceae through Solanaceae, Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 1994, ISBN 0-915279 -24- X, page 236, PDF file online. (Sections Description, systematics )
• Ian C. Hedge: Flora of Pakistan. 192: Labiatae. National Herbarium, Islamabad, 1990, Mentha, pp. 255, online. (Sections Description, systematics and distribution )
• Rafael Govaerts include: World Checklist of Lamiaceae. Mentha. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Internet publication, accessed December 28, 2012.
• Details for: Mentha. In: The Euro Med Plant Base Project. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin- Dahlem, July 2010, accessed 12 September 2011 (English).