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The species that makes up the genus Mentha are widely distributed and can be found
in many environments. Most grow best in wet environments and moist soils. Mints
will grow 10�120 cm tall and can spread over an indeterminate area. Due to their
tendency to spread unchecked, some mints are considered invasive.[7]
Contents
1 Description
2 Taxonomy
2.1 Species
2.2 Hybrids
3 Cultivation
4 Uses
4.1 Culinary
4.2 Traditional medicine and cosmetics
4.2.1 Allergic reaction
4.3 Insecticides
4.4 Room scent and aromatherapy
5 Diseases
6 Etymology of "mint"
7 Fossil record
8 References
9 External links
Description
Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial herbs. They have wide-spreading
underground and overground stolons[8] and erect, square,[9] branched stems. The
leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and
with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple,
blue, and sometimes pale yellow.[6] The flowers are white to purple and produced in
false whorls called verticillasters. The corolla is two-lipped with four subequal
lobes, the upper lobe usually the largest. The fruit is a nutlet, containing one to
four seeds.
Taxonomy
Mentha is a member of the tribe Mentheae in the subfamily Nepetoideae. The tribe
contains about 65 genera, and relationships within it remain obscure.[4] Authors
have disagreed on the circumscription of Mentha. For example, M. cervina has been
placed in Pulegium and Preslia, and M. cunninghamii has been placed in Micromeria.
[10] In 2004, a molecular phylogenetic study indicated that both M. cervina and M.
cunninghamii should be included in Mentha.[5] However, M. cunninghamii was excluded
in a 2007 treatment of the genus.[10]
More than 3,000 names have been published in the genus Mentha, at ranks from
species to forms, the majority of which are regarded as synonyms or illegitimate
names. The taxonomy of the genus is made difficult because many species hybridize
readily, or are themselves derived from possibly ancient hybridization events.
Seeds from hybrids give rise to variable offspring, which may spread through
vegetative propagation. The variability has led to what has been described as
"paroxysms of species and subspecific taxa"; for example, one taxonomist published
434 new mint taxa for central Europe alone between 1911 and 1916.[10] Recent
sources recognize between 18[10] and 24[1] species.
Species
Mentha x gracilis and M. rotundifolia: The steel ring is to control the spread of
the plant.
All mints thrive near pools of water, lakes, rivers, and cool moist spots in
partial shade.[11] In general, mints tolerate a wide range of conditions, and can
also be grown in full sun. Mint grows all year round.[12]
They are fast-growing, extending their reach along surfaces through a network of
runners. Due to their speedy growth, one plant of each desired mint, along with a
little care, will provide more than enough mint for home use. Some mint species are
more invasive than others. Even with the less invasive mints, care should be taken
when mixing any mint with any other plants, lest the mint take over. To control
mints in an open environment, they should be planted in deep, bottomless containers
sunk in the ground, or planted above ground in tubs and barrels.[11]
Some mints can be propagated by seed, but growth from seed can be an unreliable
method for raising mint for two reasons: mint seeds are highly variable � one might
not end up with what one supposed was planted[11] � and some mint varieties are
sterile. It is more effective to take and plant cuttings from the runners of
healthy mints.
The most common and popular mints for commercial cultivation are peppermint (Mentha
� piperita), native spearmint (Mentha spicata), Scotch spearmint (Mentha x
gracilis), and cornmint (Mentha arvensis);[13] also (more recently) apple mint
(Mentha suaveolens).
Mints are supposed to make good companion plants, repelling pesty insects and
attracting beneficial ones. They are susceptible to whitefly and aphids.
Harvesting of mint leaves can be done at any time. Fresh leaves should be used
immediately or stored up to a few days in plastic bags in a refrigerator.
Optionally, leaves can be frozen in ice cube trays. Dried mint leaves should be
stored in an airtight container placed in a cool, dark, dry area.[14]
Uses
This section may lack focus or may be about more than one topic. In particular, it
treats the genus Mentha ("mint") as if it were a single kind of plant, whereas many
of the uses apply only to one species or cultivated variety of the genus. Please
help improve this article, possibly by splitting the article and/or by introducing
a disambiguation page, or discuss this issue on the talk page. (July 2019)
Culinary
A jar of mint jelly: Mint jelly is a traditional condiment served with lamb dishes.
Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in breath
fresheners, drinks, antiseptic mouth rinses, toothpaste, chewing gum, desserts, and
candies, such as mint (candy) and mint chocolate. The substances that give the
mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol (the main aroma of
peppermint and Japanese peppermint) and pulegone (in pennyroyal and Corsican mint).
The compound primarily responsible for the aroma and flavor of spearmint is L-
carvone.
Mints are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including
buff ermine moths.
Menthol from mint essential oil (40�90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and
some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also used in aromatherapy which
may have clinical use to alleviate post-surgery nausea.[15][17]
Allergic reaction
Although it is used in many consumer products, mint may cause allergic reactions in
some people, inducing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headaches,
heartburn, tingling or numbing around the mouth, anaphylaxis or contact dermatitis.
[15][18]
Insecticides
Mint oil is also used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for its ability to
kill some common pests such as wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches.[19]
Room scent and aromatherapy
Known in Greek mythology as the herb of hospitality,[20] one of mint's first known
uses in Europe was as a room deodorizer.[21] The herb was strewn across floors to
cover the smell of the hard-packed soil. Stepping on the mint helped to spread its
scent through the room. Today, it is more commonly used for aromatherapy through
the use of essential oils.
Diseases
Main article: List of mint diseases
Etymology of "mint"
In Spain and Central and South America, mint is known as menta. In Lusophone
countries, especially in Portugal, mint species are popularly known as hortel�. In
many Indo-Aryan languages, it is called pudina, (Sindhi: ???????), Hindi: ?????? ,
(Bengali: ??????).
The taxonomic family Lamiaceae is known as the mint family. It includes many other
aromatic herbs, including most of the more common cooking herbs, such as basil,
rosemary, sage, oregano, and catnip.
In common usage, other plants with fragrant leaves may be called "mint", although
they are not in the mint family.
References
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2019-07-15.
�???a. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek�English Lexicon at the
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Palaeolexicon, Word study tool of ancient languages
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Barry J.; Grayer, Ren�e J.; Harley, Madeline M.; de Kok, Rogier P.J.; Krestovskaja,
Tatyana V. (2004). "Labiatae". In Kubitzki, Klaus; Kadereit, Joachim W. (eds.). The
Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. VII. Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany: Springer-
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Bunsawat, Jiranan; Elliott, Natalina E.; Hertweck, Kate L.; Sproles, Elizabeth;
Alice, Lawrence A. (2004). "Phylogenetics of Mentha (Lamiaceae): Evidence from
Chloroplast DNA Sequences". Systematic Botany. 29 (4): 959�964.
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"Variation in the Amount of Yield and in the Extract Composition Between
Conventionally Produced and Micropropagated Peppermint and Spearmint". Journal of
Essential Oil Research. 17 (1): 66�70. doi:10.1080/10412905.2005.9698833. Archived
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Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. p. 310. ISBN 978-
0-7232-2419-8.
Tucker, Arthur O.; Naczi, Robert F. C. (2007). "Mentha: An Overview of its
Classification and Relationships". In Lawrence, Brian M. (ed.). Mint: The Genus
Mentha. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group. pp. 1�39. ISBN
978-0-8493-0779-9.
Bradley, Fern (1992). Rodale's All-new Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Emmaus,
Pennsylvania: Rodale Press. p. 390. ISBN 978-0-87857-999-0.
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Wees, David (4 March 2015) [first published online 8 April 2013]. "Mint, Economic
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Ortiz, Elisabeth (1992). The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices & Flavorings. London:
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Jamila, F.; Mostafa, E. (2014). "Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by
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Hunt, R.; Dienemann, J.; Norton, H.J.; Hartley, W.; Hudgens, A.; Stern, T.;
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& Analgesia. 117 (3): 597. doi:10.1213/ANE.0b013e31824a0b1c.
Bayat, R.; Borici-Mazi, R. (2014). "A case of anaphylaxis to peppermint". Allergy,
Asthma & Clinical Immunology. 10: 6. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-10-6. PMC 3912937.
Bounds, Gwendolyn (30 July 2009). "Death by Mint Oil: Natural Pesticides". The
Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
"Mint". South Texas Unit of The Herb Society of America. Archived from the
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Huntington, Sharon J. (18 May 2004). "A not-so-boring history of flooring". The
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