109 Mentha Mentha Mentha (also known as Mint, from Greek míntha, Linear B mi-ta) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (mint family). The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally. Many other hybrids as well as numerous cultivars are known in cultivation. The genus has a subcosmopolitan distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herbs. They have wide-spreading underground and overground stolons and erect, square, branched stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrate margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow. 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 small, dry capsule containing one to four seeds. While the species that make up the Mentha genus are widely distributed and can be found in many environments, most Mentha 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, mints are considered invasive. 32264 Mentha 109.jpg image/jpeg 161559 2012-04-20T09:35:56Z 116 Herbs and Spices Herbs Type 1 2011-02-09T00:37:20Z 2019-05-14T18:04:16Z false specific 21819 true FOOD00109