163 
MENTHA VIRIDIS. 
Spea?'mint. 
Class DlDYNAMIA.~OrC?er GyMNOSPERMIA. . 
Nat. Ord. Verticillat^, Linn. Labiate, Juss. 
Gen. Char. Corolla not quite equal, 4-lobed. Stamens 
ereot, spreading. 
Spec. Char. Spikes interrnpted. Leaies sessile, lanceolate, 
acute, naked. Bracteas bristle-shaped, somewhat hairy, 
and also the teeth of the calyx,. Peduncles smooth. 
The genus Mentha comprises more than thirty species, of which 
twenty-three are indigenous to Britain ; of these several are largely 
cultivated for medicinal and culinary purposes, viz. spearmint, 
peppermint and penny-royal. The Mentha Viridis is a hardy 
perennial, tioweriog the latter end of July or beginning of August; 
in its native state it delights in a cool marshy soil, and has been 
found in many parts of the country : many years ago, it was found 
by Hudson on the banks of the Thames and Avon, but it is now 
rarely met with. The root is fibrous and creeping, and sends up 
stems that rise to the height of two and often three feet, erect, 
branched, angular, and often of a purplish tint ; the leaves, when 
full grown, are from two to three inches long, and from one to one 
and a half broad, lanceolate, somewhat hairy on the under side, 
placed nearly sessile, and stand opposite on the stem and branches; 
the flowers terminate the stems and branches in long panicled acute 
spikes, the whorls of which stand a little remote from each other, 
and are furnished with narrow, lanceolate bracteas ; the peduncles 
are smooth and polished ; the calyx is bell-shaped, divided into five 
acute segments ; the corolla is funnel-shaped, and of a pale purple 
colour; the stamens are shorter than the corolla, crowned with 
roundish anthers; the germen is four-lobed, style filiform, stigma 
bifid ; the seeds are four, small, and often abortive. 
Qualities, Properties, Uses, &c. Spearmint has an aro- 
matic and somewhat bitter taste, its smell is fragrant ; in distillation 
with water it yields a considerable portion of essential oil, of a pale 
