Apple mint

Apple mint
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Mentha
Species:	M. suaveolens
Binomial name
Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.

A variant of apple mint, pineapple mint, displays white variegation on its leaves, Pierce County, Washington

Apple mint (sometimes called woolly mint; Mentha suaveolens; syn. M. rotundifolia; syn. Mentha macrostachya Ten.; syn. Mentha insularis Req.^[1]) is a member of the mint genus Mentha that ranges through southern and western Europe and the western Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous, upright perennial plant that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb and/or ground cover.

Growth

It typically grows to 40–100 cm tall and spreads by stolons to form clonal colonies. The foliage is light green, with the opposite, sessile leaves being oblong to nearly ovate, 3–5 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. They are somewhat hairy on top and downy underneath with serrated edges.

Apple mint flowers in mid to late summer with light purple-pink flowers.

Cultivation and uses

An attractive herb, apple mint is often used as an ornamental plant. It is hardy and easy to grow, preferring full sun to lightly shady conditions.

The leaves of this plant can be used to make apple mint jelly, as well as a flavoring in dishes such as apple mint couscous. It is also often used to make a mint tea, as a garnish, or in salads.

Pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata') is a cultivar of apple mint that has leaves which are banded with white. A hybrid derived from it is grapefruit mint (Mentha suaveolens x piperata).

Apple mint is called hierbabuena in Spain and most South American countries, literally meaning "good herb". Apple mint has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years in many parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

References

1. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (1947-). CRC World dictionary of plant names: Common names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Sonyonyms, and Etymology. III M-Q. CRC Press. p. 1659. 

External links

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million.. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11892. 
• Plants for a Future: Mentha suaveolens