716 
XXVI. MENTHA (Mentha of Pliny. Mus, Minthe, of 
Theophrastus. From a nymph of that name, daughter of Cocy- 
tus, fabled to have been changed into mint by Proserpine in a 
fit of jealousy.) Lin. gen. no. 713. Schreb. gen. no. 967. 
Juss. gen. p. 113. ed. Usteri, p. 127. Tourn. inst. t. 89. 
Benth. lab. p. 168. 
Lin. syst. Didynàmia, Gymnospérmia. Calyx campanulate, 
or tubular, 5-toothed, equal, or sub-bilabiate; throat naked, or 
villous inside. Corolla with an inclosed tube, and a campanu- 
late, nearly equal, 4-cleft limb: upper segment broader, and 
nearly entire, or emarginate. Stamens 4, equal, erect, distant ; 
filaments glabrous, naked; anthers 2-celed: cells parallel. 
Style shortly bifid; segments bearing the stigmas at apex. 
Achenia dry, smooth.—Herbs. Whorls usually many-flow- 
ered, sometimes all remote in the axils of the leaves, sometimes 
approximate into terminal spikes, with the superior floral leaves 
bractea-formed.—The European mints, as is generally the case 
with plants which are very common in highly civilized and long 
cultivated countries, especially aquatic plants, vary much in 
appearance; and the repeated attempts by different authors 
in different countries to reduce these inconstant and ephemeral 
variations to so many species, have thrown so much confusion 
into this difficult genus that it is now almost impossible to clear 
up the chaos thus produced, ex Benth. 
* Throat of corolla naked inside. 
1 M. ravawpuLA'ckA (Willd. enum. p. 609.) canescent; 
leaves sessile, lanceolate-linear, quite entire, clothed with hoary 
tomentum on both surfaces ; spike dense; calyxes clothed with 
white tomentum. 2f. H. Native of Spain; on Mount Sinai, 
Bové; and of the Cape of Good Hope. M. lavandulefólia, 
Pers. ench. 2. p. 119. Stem erect, branched. Leaves 12 to 2 
inches long. 'Spikes solitary, conical at first, but at length 
somewhat interrupted at the base.  Bracteas subulate. Corollas 
purple.? Whorls many-flowered. 
Lavender-like Mint. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1823. Pl. 1 to 2 
feet. 
2 M. tnca'na (Willd. enum. p. 609.) stem humble, panicled ; 
leaves nearly sessile, ovate-cordate, a little toothed, clothed with 
hoary tomentum on both surfaces; spikes numerous, short; 
calyxes clothed with villous tomentum. .)/. H. Native of 
Greece, and probably of Persia and Arabia. M. spicata, Forsk. 
in herb. Vahl. M. Crética, and M. Pérsica, Hortul. Stems 
ascending. Spikes hardly an inch long, panicled. Whorls 
8-flowered. Corolla twice as long as the calyx, downy outside, 
purple. ? 
Hoary Mint. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1790. Pl. 4 foot. 
3 M. tomentosa (D' Urv. mem. soc. Lin. par. 1. p. 323. but 
not of Borkh.) canescent ; stem erect, or ascending, tall; leaves 
sessile, lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate, irregularly serrated, some- 
what reflexed, plicate, undulately curled, clothed with white 
tomentum on both surfaces ; spikes elongated, cylindrical, inter- 
rupted at the base, somewhat panicled ; calyx clothed with 
tomentose pubescence. )/. H. Native of Crete, Syria; Greece, 
at fountains in the Island of Scyra, D‘Urville; Persia, near 
Teheran. Stems erect, rarely procumbent at the base, or as- 
cending. Leaves roundish, or cordate at the base. Spikes 
numerous, 3-4 inches long, or more. — Whorls distinct, many- 
flowered. Bracteas subulate. Corolla purple, ? downy outside. 
Fertile stamens exserted. 
Tomentose Mint. Pl. 2 to 3 feet. 
4 M. sarcina (Burch. cat. geo. pl. afr. austr. 1372. Benth. 
lab. p. 170.) canescent ; stem erect; leaves petiolate, lanceolate- 
linear, almost entire, nearly glabrous above, and hoary beneath ; 
LABIATA. XXVI. MENTHA. 
spikes cylindrical. 2/4. G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, 
M. Capénsis, Thunb. prod. p. 95. ? Leaves size and form of 
those of M. lavandulàcea, but are nearly glabrous above. 
Willowy-leaved Mentha. Pl. 
5 M. Rovrza'NaA (Benth. in Wall. pl. rar. asiat. 1. p. 29.) 
plant clothed with white tomentum ; leaves petiolate, ovate- 
oblong, unequally serrated ; spikes elongated, slender, inter- 
rupted at the base. 4. H. Native of Deyra Dhoon, Royle; 
and at Simlah. Habit of M. sylvéstris, var. hispida. Whorls 
distinct, numerous, small, globose : lower ones remote. Flow- 
ers minute, nearly sessile. Corollas small, whitish. Fertile 
stamens about equal in length to the corolla. 
Royle's Mint. Pl. 1 to 2 feet. 
6 M. sytve’srris (Lin. spec. 804.) stem erect ; leaves nearly 
sessile, ovate-lanceolate, or oblong, pubescent above, or tomen- 
tose, but clothed with white tomentum beneath ; spikes dense, 
or interrupted at the base, conically cylindrical; calyx clothed 
with villous tomentum. 2/. H. Native throughout Europe, 
North of Asia, and Canary Islands, in ditches and boggy 
places common. Spikes usually dense, obtuse, but in some of 
the varieties interrupted at the base. Corolla purplish, pubes- 
cent outside. Fertile stamens exserted. 
Var. a, mollissima (Benth. lab. p. 171.) leaves clothed with 
soft white tomentum on both surfaces. h. H. Native of 
Greece, Dalmatia, Spain, Canary Island, Cashmere; also of 
England, and Germany, but rare. M. mollissima, Borkh. M. 
incàna, Sole herb. Smith, in Rees’ cycl. vol. 23. - M. canés- 
cens, Roth, catalect. 2. p. 46. M. Chalepénsis, Mill. dict. 
no. 10. 
Var. B, cándicans (Benth. lab. p. 171.) leaves clothed with 
short, hoary tomentum on both surfaces. 2f. H. Native in 
the same countries and places with var. a. M. cándicans, 
Crantz. austr. p. 330. M. pállida, Nees. M. sylvestris cán- 
dicans, Rchb. icon. bot. 10. p. 28. t. 982. M. sylvéstris ál- 
bida, Rchb. icon. bot. 10. p. 28. t. 983. 
Var. y, glabrata (Benth. lab. p. 171.) leaves almost gla- 
brous above, pubescent and rather hoary beneath. X. H 
Native of Britain, South of Sweden, Denmark, throughout 
Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Sicily, Greece, Eu- 
ropean Russia, Tauria, Caucasus, Siberia, Cape of Good Hope, 
Teneriffe, &c. M. Rosàni, Tenore, fl. nap. append. 5. p. 18: 
syll. p. 281. M. Eisenstadtiàna, Nees. 
Var. ò, vulgàris (Benth. l. c.) leaves pubescent above, rather 
wrinkled, clothed with soft white tomentum beneath. %. 
Native in the same countries and places with var. y. M. cán- 
dicans, Mill. dict. M. villosa, Sole, menth. brit. t. 1. & 2. M. 
sylvéstris, a, Smith, in Lin. trans. 5. p. 179. engl. bot. t. 686. 
bad. M. gratissima, Willd. spec. 3. p. 75. M. Niliaca, Willd. 
spec. 3. p. 76. but not of Vahl. M. longifólia, Huds. angl. p- 
221. M. tomentósa, Borkh. M. hybrida, Schleich. pl. exsic. 
cent. 1. no. 55.? M. reflexifdlia, Opiz, in bot. zeit. 1824. 2. 
p.525. M. suavis, Hoffin.? ex Smith, in Rees’ cycl. vol. 23. 
but not of Juss. M. Wierzbeckiàna, Opiz, l. c.? M. ob- 
lónga, Opiz, l. c. M. Ratisbonénsis, Opiz, l. c. 
Var. e, nemordsa (Benth. lab. p. 171.) leaves ovate-oblong, 
green and pubescent above, and clothed with loose, white 
tomentum beneath 2t. H. Native of Catalonia, Italy, and 
probably of Germany; Ceylon, Macrae; Brazil, St. Hilaire. 
M. nemorósa, Willd. spec. 3. p. 75. M. sylvéstris, Sole, menth. 
brit. t. 3. Oed. fl. dan. 484. M. sylvéstris, ð, Smith, engl. fl. 
3. p. 73. M. rotundifolia, Sole, menth. brit. t. 4. ? but not of 
in. M. Nillaca, Jacq. hort. vind. 3. p. 46. t. 87. but not of 
abl. 
{ M. serótina, Tenore, fl. nep. t. 156. syll. p. 281. 
hírta, Beck. fl. fr. 220. ex Fresen. syll. pl. ratisb. 229. and pro- 
bably of Willd. M. dumetòrum, Schultes, ? ex Rchb. fl. germ. 
