Mentha spicata: Uses (Ethnobotany)
Fresh or dried leaves and flowers in teas, beverages, sauces, jellies, vinegars; Fresh leaves in fruit salad, peas, syrups, candies, ice creams, lamb dishes, mint sauce
Plant Profile: Mentha spicata
Taxonomy: Mentha spicataNames
Mint, Spearmint
Phonetic Spelling:MEN-thah spih-KAY-tah
Genus:Mentha
Species:spicata
Family:Lamiaceae
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is a fragrant herb belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae) and is commonly utilized in cooking. It thrives best when cultivated in a pot due to its vigorous growth. Renowned for its exceptional flavor, both the flowers and leaves can be used fresh or dried in a variety of applications, including teas, drinks, jellies, syrups, confections, ice creams, lamb dishes, and mint sauce.
However, spearmint is susceptible to certain fungal diseases, with rust and leaf spot being the two most prevalent.
Mentha spicata Feature Summary
Tags
#perennial
#weedy
#aromatic
#herb garden
#spreading
#culinary herb
#mint
#problem for cats
#problem for dogs
#problem for horses
#container plants
Similar Plants
Mentha spicata is often confused with:
Mentha spicata Feature Summary
Attributes
Fresh or dried leaves and flowers in teas, beverages, sauces, jellies, vinegars; Fresh leaves in fruit salad, peas, syrups, candies, ice creams, lamb dishes, mint sauce
Fresh or dried leaves and flowers in teas, beverages, sauces, jellies, vinegars; Fresh leaves in fruit salad, peas, syrups, candies, ice creams, lamb dishes, mint sauce
Perennial
Stem Cutting
Division
Flowers
The central stem and any upper lateral stems terminate in dense spikes of whorled flowers about 1-6" long
Pink
White
Fragrant
Edible
Summer
Fall
Tubular
1-3 inches
Leaves
The upper surface of each leaf is medium green and glabrous; it has a wrinkled appearance because of the indentations along its veins. The lower surface of each leaf is pale to medium green and either glabrous or nearly so. The foliage of Spearmint has a moderately strong minty fragrance.
Deciduous
Green
Simple
Opposite
Ovate
Lanceolate
Serrate
1-3 inches
Edible
Fragrant
< 1 inch
Poisonous to Humans
Vomiting and diarrhea with large ingestions
Essential Oils
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Edible
Herb
Deciduous
Multi-stemmed
Erect
Rapid
High
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Occasionally Wet
12 inches-3 feet
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Loam (Silt)
Stem
Square
Landscape
Edible Garden
Pollinator Garden
Container
Butterflies
Pollinators
Problem for Cats
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Weedy
Mentha spicata Image Gallery
Mentha spicata Attributes
Mentha spicata: Country Or Region Of Origin
Europe
Mentha spicata: Edibility
Fresh or dried leaves and flowers in teas, beverages, sauces, jellies, vinegars; Fresh leaves in fruit salad, peas, syrups, candies, ice creams, lamb dishes, mint sauce
Mentha spicata: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Mentha spicata: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Mentha spicata Flowers
Mentha spicata: Flower Description
The central stem and any upper lateral stems terminate in dense spikes of whorled flowers about 1-6" long
Mentha spicata: Flower Color
Pink
White
Mentha spicata: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Mentha spicata: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Mentha spicata: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Mentha spicata: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Mentha spicata: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Mentha spicata Leaves
Mentha spicata: Leaf Description
The upper surface of each leaf is medium green and glabrous; it has a wrinkled appearance because of the indentations along its veins. The lower surface of each leaf is pale to medium green and either glabrous or nearly so. The foliage of Spearmint has a moderately strong minty fragrance.
Mentha spicata: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Mentha spicata: Leaf Color
Green
Mentha spicata: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Mentha spicata: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Mentha spicata: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Mentha spicata: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Mentha spicata: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Mentha spicata: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Mentha spicata: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Mentha spicata: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Mentha spicata Poisonous to Humans
Mentha spicata: Poison Symptoms
Vomiting and diarrhea with large ingestions
Mentha spicata: Poison Toxic Principle
Essential Oils
Mentha spicata: Poison Severity
High
Low
Medium
Mentha spicata: Causes Contact Dermatitis
No
Yes
Mentha spicata Whole Plant Traits
Mentha spicata: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Mentha spicata: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Mentha spicata: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Mentha spicata: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Mentha spicata: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Mentha spicata Cultural Conditions
Mentha spicata: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Mentha spicata: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Mentha spicata: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Mentha spicata: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Mentha spicata: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Mentha spicata Stem
Mentha spicata: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Mentha spicata: Stem Cross Section
Angular
Oval
Round
Square
Mentha spicata Landscape
Mentha spicata: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Mentha spicata: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Mentha spicata: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
Mentha spicata: Problems
Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy
