824 



Labiatae 



Mentha 



Jan. 



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o 55 



Map 1787 



Mentha spicata L. 



50 



Map 1788 



Mentha piperita L. 



^0 



Map 1789 

 Mentha longifolia Huds. 



var. mollissima Borkh. 



1. Mentha spicata L. Spearmint. Map 1787. This plant was culti- 

 vated by the pioneers for its medicinal properties and has escaped in many 

 parts of the state. It is generally found in wet places along roadsides and 

 streams, and about lakes. 



Na. of Eurasia ; N. S. to Wash., southw. to Fla. and Calif. 



2. Mentha piperita L. Peppermint. Map 1788. This species has 

 been commonly cultivated for its medicinal properties and as a kitchen 

 herb; of recent years it has been cultivated on a commercial scale for its 

 volatile oil which is now extensively used as a flavoring agent. This species 

 is regarded as of hybrid origin. It does not produce viable seed and is 

 propagated by stolons. For this reason its escape is limited although it 

 has widely escaped, especially in the northern part of the state, where it 

 has been cultivated. It prefers moist situations and is found along fences, 

 roadsides, and streams, and about lakes. 



Nat. of Eu. ; N. S. to Minn., southw. to Fla. and Ark., also in Calif., 

 Bermuda, and Jamaica. 



3. Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. var. mollissima Borkh. Map 1789. 

 I found this mint in 1923 in moist soil along a recently graded roadside 3 

 miles southwest of Packerton, in Kosciusko County, where it formed a 

 complete stand on both sides of the road for about 200 feet. I first found 

 it in 1916 in sandy soil along the roadside north of Wolf Lake in Noble 

 County. In 1922 and 1938, 1 revisited this place and the plant still persisted 

 although the owner of the land had tried to exterminate it. In 1922, I 

 found a colony about 2 rods long along the roadside in section 13, about 

 4 miles north of Modoc, in Randolph County. 



Nat. of Eu. ; I do not know the distribution of the variety in the U. S. 



4. Mentha rotundifolia L. Apple Mint. Map 1790. In 1923, I 

 found a small colony of this plant in dry, sandy soil near Clarke, in Lake 

 County. Peattie reports finding this same colony a few years later and also 

 says that it is established at Gibson, in Lake County. Clark reported it 



