peppermint - KPU Plant DB

Scientific Name:

Mentha x piperita

Pronunciation:

MEN-thuh ex pye-PAR-ih-tuh

Common Name:

peppermint

Family Name:

Lamiaceae

Plant Type:

Herbaceous perennial

Key ID Features:

Stems 4-sided, turning reddish; leaves opposite, ovate, sharply serrated, major veins turning red, intense peppermint taste, to 9cm long; florets 3-6mm long, white to pink to lilac, in spike-like verticillasters.

Habit:

Arching, Spreading, Upright

Form:

Oval - horizontal

Texture:

Medium

Mature Height:

0.7 - 1.3m

Mature Spread:

0.6 - 1.0m

Growth Rate:

Fast

Origin:

Europe, Garden origin (watermint x spearmint: M. aquatica x M. spicata)

Hardiness Rating:

Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)

Exposure:

Full sun, Part sun/part shade

Soil/Growing Medium:

Well-drained

Water Use:

Moderate

Landscape Uses:

Attract beneficial insects, Attract butterflies, Container planting, Cut flower or foliage, Dried flower or fruit, Fragrance, Herb, Medicinal plant, Perennial border

Additional Info:

Google. Compare to spearmint (milder tasting due to much lower menthol content; florets mostly <3mm long).

Leaf Morphology:

Glossary

Form:

Simple

Arrangement:

Opposite

Texture/Venation:

Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation

Surfaces:

Pubescent, Distinctive smell

Colour in Summer:

Green, Leaves often tinged red -purple with midrid and some major viens reddish. M. 'Variegata' has green leaves mottled with cream

Colour in Fall:

Green

Shapes:

Ovate

Apices:

Acute

Bases:

Obtuse

Margins:

Serrate

Additional Info:

Also look for Mentha x piperita ‘Variegata’. Odour less instense than spearmint. Leaves 4 - 9cm long x 1.5 - 4cm wide.

Inflorescence Type:

Verticillaster, Floriferous, Spike-like

Flower Morphology:

Flowers perfect

Number Of Petals:

5

Corolla Shape:

Bilabiate

Ovary Position:

Superior

Colour (petals):

Showy, Purple

Flower Scent:

Lemony

Flower Time at Peak:

Jul, Aug, Sep

Additional Info:

Florets weakly bilabiate, up to 5mm wide and may appear to have just four petals

Fruit Type:

Schizocarp, Aborted (hybrids) or absent

Fruit Colour:

Fruiting Time:

Sep, Oct

Additional Info:

Fruit insignificant, Accessory tissue, Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx (rarely form but may cross with spearmint to produce viable seed)