124 
M E N 
v;e have it from North Wales, Shropshire, and Somerfet- 
fr.ire. Linnaeus fays it grows in the fouth of Europe; and 
Dr. Sibthorp found what he took for this fpecies, and 
judged to be the n^voerpo; aye ,of Diofcorides, frequent 
among Hubble in Greece, at the end of autumn. 
21. Mentha gracilis, or narrow-leaved mint: flowers 
whorled ; leaves lanceolate, nearly (efiile ; Hem much 
branched, ereft ; flower-ftalks and bale of the calyx very 
fmooth. The whole herb is alittle hairy. Stem eredf, twelve 
or eighteen inches high, much branched about the mid¬ 
dle, leafy, rough, and reddifli. Leaves (harply lerrated, 
tapering much at the bale, bright green, ilightly clothed 
with ihort hairs. Flower-ftalks round, purple, uniformly 
and perfectly fmooth. Calyx tubular, fomewliat bell- 
fhaped, purple, with refinous dots; very fmooth and naked 
at the bafe ; furrowed upwards, and clothed towards the 
top, efpecially its taper teeth, with white upright hairs. 
Corolla purplifli, bearded at the extremity, longer than 
the ftamens. Found on commons and wafte grounds, 
chiefly in watery places. 
22. Mentha arvenfls, or corn-mint: flowers whorled ; 
leaves ovate ; item much branched, diffule ; calyx bell- 
fhaped, clothed all over with horizontal hairs. This fpe¬ 
cies is readily known by its peculiar feent, juftly com¬ 
pared to that of blue mouldy cheefe, and which the 
dried fpecimens ftrongly retain. The Hems are moHly 
diflufe, and much branched. Leaves ovate, inclining to 
elliptical, obtufe, pale, clothed with rather rigid promi¬ 
nent hairs. Flower-flalks Ihortifh, round, generally 
fmooth, fometimes furnilhed with a few fpreading, or 
fiightly deflexed, hairs. Calyx Hiorter, more bell-lhaped, 
and more broadly toothed, than in any of the foregoing, 
and effentially charadierifed by being clothed all over with 
horizontal fpreading hairs. Flowers reddifli-lilac, exter¬ 
nally hairy. Frequent in corn-fields where water Hag- 
nates in winter, efpecially on a fandy or gravelly foil. It 
is often a troublefome weed, becaufe of the widely-creep¬ 
ing natnre of the root, and its turgid flefliy (hoots, well 
calculated to retain life in a foil that fluctuates as to hu¬ 
midity. 
23. Mentha Aufiriaca, or AuHrian mint: flowers in 
whorls, all the fegments of the corolla blunt; leaves fub- 
ovate villofe ; flamens fhorter than the corolla. This re- 
fembles M. arvenfis very much; but differs from it in being 
of a lower ffature, in its fmell, the ihortnels of the ftamens, 
its greater hairinefs, &c. Stems half a foot high and more, 
upright, almoft Ample. Thefe, the leaves on both Hdes, 
and the calyxes, are covered with a very fhort villofe down. 
Leaves on Ihort petioles, the lov. eft ovate, the reft lanceo¬ 
late, acute, ferrulate, the midrib hairy underneath. Flow¬ 
ers (mail, in very cloie whorls; corolla pale violet, with 
the-upper lip emarginate or femibifid, and thrice as wide 
as the three fegments of the lower lip ; the throat is doled 
with white hairs. It flowers in July and Auguft. Native 
of Auftria, in the ifles of the Danube ; and in Piedmont, 
according to Allione. 
24.. Mentha agreftis, or rugged field-mint: flowers 
whorled; leaves fomewliat heart-lhaped, ftrongly fer- 
rated, rugole ; Hem eredl; calyx bell-Hiaped, clothed all 
over with horizontal hairs. Obferved by Mr. Sole in 
corn-fields and neglefted gardens in Somerfetfhire ; Mr. 
Borrer found it very common in Suft'ex. Mr. Sole firft fe- 
parated this plant from arvenfis, on account of its upright 
Item, and roundilh-heart-fhaped, rugged, dark, ftrongly- 
ferrated, leaves, which give it a peculiarly coarl'e and hanh 
afpeft ; “ all which marks (fays Dr. Smith) our cultivated 
and abundantly-increafing fpecimens have now retained 
for thirteen years without the leaft variation.” The parts 
of the flower, and the (cent of the whole herb, accord en¬ 
tirely with the arvenfis. 
25. Mentha pulegium, or common penny-royal: flowers 
whorled; leaves ovate; Hem proftrate; flower-ftalks 
downy; calyx hairy all over, with fringed teeth. This is 
much l’maller than any of the preceding, and is known by 
its proftrate ftems; linall, downy, (talked, ovate, reflexed, 
T II A. 
leaves, fparmgly ferrated ; and numerous denfe whorls of 
purplilh, fometimes white, flowers, without braftes. The 
flower-ftalks are always denfely clothed with fine fttort 
prominent hairs or down. Calyx lefs denfely clothed, ei¬ 
ther with hairs of the lame length, or, as is moft commonly 
the cafe, with longer and more briftly hairs, a little af- 
cending ; its teeth fringed with briftles; its mouth clofed 
with hairs. Corolla twice the length of the calyx, very 
hairy externally, Hiorter than the ftamens. Native of wa¬ 
tery places in various parts of Europe. 
26. Mentha tomentofa, or downy penny-royal: flowers 
whorled; leaves ovate, hairy; Hem afeending; flower- 
ftalks denfely clothed with horizontal hairs; calyx co¬ 
vered with long loofely-lpreading hairs. Its appearance 
is altogether much more hairy or Ihaggy than any variety 
of pulegium ; the mouth of the calyx is entirely clofed 
with wool rather than hair, and the hairy covering of the 
flovyer-ftalks is remarkable for its great length and denfity. 
Native of Sicily and Algiers. 
27. Mentha cervina, or hyflop-leaved mint: flowers 
whorled; bradfes palmate; leaves linear; calyx and 
flower-ftalks fmooth. Native of the fouth of France. A 
moft diftindt and remarkable fpecies. The whole plant is 
fmooth, larger than pulegium, with which it nearly agrees 
in flavour and qualities. Stem afeending, (lightly qua¬ 
drangular, not much branched. Whorls large, denfe, 
many-flowered. 
28. Mentha perilloides: racemes lateral, diredfed the 
fame way. This relembles Perilla ocymoides, and is the 
only inftance of a mint that is annual. The ftamens are 
Ihorter than the corolla. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
Miller has fome other fpecies, as M. chalepenfls, or 
Aleppo mint, with oblong toothed leaves, tomentofe 
on both fides and feflile, with very narrow fpikes.—M. ni¬ 
gricans, or broad-leaved black pepper-mint; a larger va¬ 
riety of his M. piperita, not that of Linnaeus ; his M. pi¬ 
perita not being our true one.—M. rubra, or orange-mint, 
with oblong-ovate, acuminate, toothed, feflile, leaves, and 
interrupted cluftered fpikes ; probably a variety of M. vi- 
ridis, or common fpearmint.—There is alfo a mint of his 
in the Bankfian Herbarium, which he names M. hifpanica 
candidiffima, which feems to be a variety of M. fylveftris.— 
For Mentha canarienfis and plumofo, fee BvsTRoroGON. 
— M. cataria, or cat-mint, fee Nepeta. 
Propagation and Culture. All the forts of mint are ea- 
fily propagated by parting the roots in the fpring, or by 
planting cuttings during any of the fummer-months; but 
they ftiould have a moill foil; and, after the cuttings are 
planted, if the feafon Ihould prove dry, they muft be often 
watered until they have taken root; after which, they 
will require no farther care but to keep them clear from 
weeds ; they Ihould be planted in beds about four feet 
wide, allowing a path about two feet broad between the 
beds, to water, weed, and cut, the plants. The diftance 
they fhould be fet is four or five inches, or more, becaufe 
they fpread very much at their roots ; for which reafon, 
the beds Ihould not Hand longer than three years before 
you plant again, for by that time the roots will be mat¬ 
ted lo clofely, as to rot and decay each other, if permitted 
to Hand longer. Some perfons are very fond of mint-falad 
in winter and fpring; in order to obtain which, they 
take up the roots before Chriltmas, and plant them upon 
a moderate hot-bed pretty clofe, covering them with fine 
earth about an inch thick, and cover the bed either with 
mats or frames of glafs. In thefe beds the mint will come 
up in a month’s time, and be foon fit to cut for that pur- 
pofe. When the herb is cut for medicinal ufe, it ftiould 
be done in a very dry feafon, juft when it is in flower j 
for, if it Hand longer, it will not be fo well tafted ; and 
if it be cut when it is wet, it will change black and be lit¬ 
tle worth. 
If the foil be good in which thefe plants are fet, they 
will afford three crops every year, but after July they fel- 
dom prove good; therefore what (hoots are produced af¬ 
ter that time ihould be permitted to remain till Michaelmas, 
when 
