Mentha arvensis
Encyclopedia
Mentha arvensis is a species of mint
with a circumboreal
distribution. It is native to the temperate
regions of Europe
and western and central Asia
, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia
, and North America
.
It is a herbaceous
perennial plant
growing to 10–60 cm (rarely to 100 cm) tall. The leaves
are in opposite pairs, simple, 2–6.5 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, hairy, and with a coarsely serrated margin. The flower
s are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), in clusters on the stem, each flower 3–4 mm long.
There are six subspecies
:
The related species Mentha canadensis
is also included in M. arvensis by some authors as two varieties, M. arvensis var. glabrata Fernald (in reference to North American plants) and M. arvensis var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey (in reference to eastern Asian plants).
Mentha
Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . 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...
with a circumboreal
Circumboreal Region
The Circumboreal Region is a floristic region within the Holarctic Kingdom in Eurasia and North America, as delineated by such geobotanists as Josias Braun-Blanquet and Armen Takhtajan....
distribution. It is native to the temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and western and central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
It is a herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing to 10–60 cm (rarely to 100 cm) tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are in opposite pairs, simple, 2–6.5 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, hairy, and with a coarsely serrated margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), in clusters on the stem, each flower 3–4 mm long.
There are six subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
:
- Mentha arvensis subsp. arvensis.
- Mentha arvensis subsp. agrestis (SoleWilliam SoleWilliam Sole was a British botanist.Born in Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire, Sole studied at the King's School, Ely, then served an apprenticeship as an apothecary in Cambridge...
) Briq. - Mentha arvensis subsp. austriaca (Jacq.) Briq.
- Mentha arvensis subsp. lapponica (Wahlenb.) Neuman
- Mentha arvensis subsp. palustris (Moench) Neumann
- Mentha arvensis subsp. parietariifolia (Becker) Briq.
The related species Mentha canadensis
Mentha canadensis
Mentha canadensis is a species of mint. The flowers are bluish or a slight violet tint. The plant is upright about to tall. Leaves grow opposite from each other, and flower bunches appear at the upper leaf axil. The mint grows in wet areas but not directly in water, so it will be found near...
is also included in M. arvensis by some authors as two varieties, M. arvensis var. glabrata Fernald (in reference to North American plants) and M. arvensis var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey (in reference to eastern Asian plants).