208 



LABIAT.E. 



Perennial herbs witli flowers ii\ dense wliorls, aiTnnp;ecl in terminal or 

 axillary heads or spikes. Corolla pak' i)uri)le or whitish. 



Mentha piperita Linne. — Peppermint. 



DescTiption. — Smooth. .Stem crcet, 1 to 2 feet hiffh. Leaves ovate-ob- 

 long, and lanceolate, serrate, pctiolate. Lifloresceuce mostly terminal, in 

 interrupted heads or si)ikes. 



Fio. 1-1.3.— Mentha piperita. 



Fig. M't.— Mentha virldla. 



JTahitaf. — Naturalized from Europe ; gi'owing in low grounds and wet 

 places. It is extensivelj' cultivated in some sections of the country, nota- 

 bly in Wayne County, New York, for the sake of its volatile oil. It multi- 

 plies rapidly by means of underground shoots. 



Mentha virldis Linuo. — Spearmint. 



Deitcription . — Nearly smooth. Stem erect, 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves 

 J oblong-lanceolate, acute, unequally serrate, nearly sessile. Inflorescence 

 terminal, in naiTow, intemipted spikes. ., 



Habitnl. — Naturalized from Europe ; growing in damp soil along road- 

 sides and in waste places. 



Part^ Vsed. — The leaves and tops of both species — United States 

 Pharmacopoeia. 



Constituents. — The only important constituent of mint is its volatile 

 oiL 



