Mentha arvensis

Mentha arvensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Mentha
Species:	M. arvensis
Binomial name
Mentha arvensis L.

Mentha arvensis (Field Mint (पुदीना/ Pudina in Hindi), Wild Mint or Corn Mint) 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.^[1][2][3]

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 flowers are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), in clusters on the stem, each flower 3–4 mm long.^[3][4][5]

There are six subspecies:^[1]

• Mentha arvensis subsp. arvensis.
• Mentha arvensis subsp. agrestis (Sole) 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 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).^[6][7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Euro+Med Plantbase Project: Mentha arvensis
2. ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Mentha arvensis
3. ^ ^{a b} Flora of NW Europe: Mentha arvensis
4. ^ Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
5. ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
6. ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Mentha canadensis
7. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (1947). CRC World dictionary of plant names: Common names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synyonyms, and Etymology. III M-Q. CRC Press. p. 1659. 

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Photo gallery