Bark
Stems are erect or ascending, four-angled, green to reddish-purple, sometimes slightly hairy, and strongly aromatic.
Mentha × piperita
Syn. Mentha aquatica var. piperita
IUCN Red List
Not Evaluated
(NE)
Local name
- Peppermint (English)
- Vilayati Pudina (Hindi)
Herb type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Lamiaceae
1m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Simple, opposite, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, with sharply serrated margins and pointed tips; dark green, often with reddish veins and conspicuous aromatic oil glands.
Flower
Small, tubular, pink to lilac or pale purple flowers arranged in dense terminal spikes or whorled clusters.
Fruit / Seeds
Fruit, when formed, consists of small, dry, brown nutlets. Seed production is often absent or poor because peppermint is a hybrid.
Did you know?
Peppermint contains high concentrations of menthol, which chemically tricks your body into feeling cold. Menthol binds to the TRPM8 receptors in your sensory neurons—the exact same receptors that detect actual freezing temperatures. Your body feels a chilling sensation even though no temperature change has occurred.
Distribution
Europe to Central Asia, Worldwide