69. MENTHA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 576. 1753.

Flora of China 17: 236–239. 1994. 

69. MENTHA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 576. 1753. 

薄荷属 bo he shu 

Herbs annual or perennial, aromatic, often rhizomatous or stoloniferous. Upper leaves sessile or subsessile; blade margin 

dentate, serrate, or crenate. Verticillasters (2–6)- to many flowered; floral leaves similar to stem leaves or reduced; bracts 

lanceolate to linear, ± distinct. Flowers bisexual or pistillate. Calyx funnelform to campanulate, 10–13-veined, throat glabrous or 

hairy, limb equally 5-toothed or 2-lipped, upper lip 3-toothed, lower lip 2-toothed. Corolla funnelform, ± regular or slightly 

irregular; tube generally included, throat slightly dilated or saccate in front, limb 4-lobed; lobes equal, entire, upper lobe slightly 

wider, emarginate or 2-lobulate. Stamens 4, subequal, divaricate, erect, exserted in bisexual flowers, included and often 

rudimentary in pistillate flowers, posterior 2 slightly longer than anterior 2; filaments glabrous; anther cells 2, parallel. Style 

exserted, apex equally 2-cleft. Nutlets ovoid, dry, smooth or slightly tuberculate, apex rounded, rarely hairy. 

About 30 species: mainly in north temperate regions, a few in the Southern Hemisphere; six native and six cultivated species in China. 

A number of species are widely cultivated for their aromatic properties and many cultivars have been developed. 

1a. Calyx tubular or campanulate-tubular, slightly curved, 2-lipped; teeth of upper lip lanceolate-triangular, shorter 

than subulate teeth of lower lip; tube hairy at throat inside, closed in fruit, hirtellous outside, conspicuously veined; 

corolla saccate at throat in front ............................................................................................................................................................. 12. M. pulegium 

1b. Calyx broadly campanulate or funnelform-campanulate, straight, regular; teeth ± equal; tube glabrous at throat, 

spreading in fruit, obscurely veined, not hirtellous; corolla throat slightly dilated, not saccate. 

2a. Verticillasters widely spaced, inserted in leaf axils, sometimes along entire stem; leaves longer than 

verticillasters; corolla throat hairy. 

3a. Stems much branched, puberulent at apex and along angles at base; leaves 3–5(–7) cm, sparsely coarsely 

dentate-serrate; calyx teeth puberulent; stamens and style usually slightly exserted ........................................ 1. M. canadensis 

3b. Stems unbranched or branched at apex, densely pubescent; leaves (2.5–)4–9 cm, irregularly shallow serrate; 

calyx teeth pilose; stamens and style usually much exserted ................................................................................... 2. M. sachalinensis 

2b. Verticillasters in leafless, terminal, capitate or spicate inflorescences, upper ones contiguous; floral leaves linear 

or nearly similar to stem leaves; corolla throat hairy or glabrous inside. 

4a. Verticillasters 1–3, in short, capitate, rarely elongated inflorescences; basal verticillasters sometimes remote 

from upper, axillary, with large floral leaves; calyx tubular; corolla hairy inside; nutlets glabrous 

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3. M. dahurica 

4b. Verticillasters in spicate continuous or interrupted inflorescences; floral leaves linear or similar to stem 

leaves, generally minute; calyx campanulate; corolla throat glabrous inside; nutlets apex hairy. 

5a. Leaves crisped, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, incised-serrate; calyx teeth slightly close together ................... 10. M. crispata 

5b. Leaves not crisped; calyx teeth not close together in fruit. 

6a. Leaves glabrous or subglabrous, dark green or shiny green. 

7a. Adaxial stem leaves sessile or subsessile; inflorescences slender, 4–10 cm, interrupted; plants shiny 

green ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9. M. spicata 

7b. Adaxial stem leaves petiolate; inflorescences robust, interrupted at base; plants dark green. 

8a. Stem leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, apex acute; calyx teeth ciliate .......................................... 7. M. ×piperita 

8b. Stem leaves ovate to elliptic, apex obtuse; calyx teeth not ciliate ................................................................... 8. M. citrata 

6b. Leaves hairy at least abaxially. 

9a. All leaves sessile, corrugate, margin crenate or crenate-serrate ................................................................ 11. M. suaveolens 

9b. Lower leaves sometimes petiolate, leaves not corrugate when all sessile, not crenate or crenate-serrate. 

10a. Plants densely gray tomentose, much branched ................................................................................................... 6. M. vagans 

10b. Plants not entirely densely gray tomentose, not much branched. 

11a. Leaves mostly sessile, coarsely serrate-dentate, dark green or green and hairy, sometimes 

abaxially densely appressed tomentose-pubescent; inflorescence robust; pedicel tomentosevillous; 

calyx as long as corolla tube, spreading hairy, teeth as long as tube; corolla ca. 4 mm 

...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4. M. longifolia 

11b. Leaves short petiolate or subsessile, remotely shallow unequal dentate, glaucous, finely 

minutely tomentose or crisped tomentose; inflorescences rather slender, sometimes 

interrupted; pedicel appressed pubescent; calyx shorter than corolla tube, appressed pubescent, 

teeth 3/4 as long as tube; corolla 4–5 mm ..................................................................................................... 5. M. asiatica 

1. Mentha canadensis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 577. 1753. 

薄荷 bo he 

Mentha arvensis Linnaeus var. canadensis (Linnaeus) 

Maximowicz; M. arvensis f. chinensis Debeaux; M. arvensis 

subsp. haplocalyx (Briquet) Briquet; M. arvensis var. 

haplocalyx (Briquet) Briquet; M. haplocalyx Briquet; 

M. haplocalyx Briquet f. alba X. L. Liu & X. H. Guo; 

M. pedunculata Hu & Tsai. 

Plants rhizomatous, perennial. Stems erect, 30–60 cm, 

puberulent, much branched. Petiole 2–10 mm; leaf blade 

ovate-lanceolate to oblong, 3–5(–7)×0.8–3 cm, puberulent, 

base cuneate to rounded, margin remotely coarse dentateserrate 

above base, apex acute. Verticillasters axillary, 

globose, ca. 1.8 cm in diam.; peduncle 0–3 mm. Pedicel 

slender, 2.5 mm. Calyx tubular-campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm, 

puberulent, glandular, obscurely 10-veined; teeth narrowly 

triangular-subulate, apex acuminate, ca. 1 mm. Corolla

purplish or white, ca. 4 mm, puberulent; upper lobe largest, 2lobulate; 

other lobes subequal, oblong, obtuse. Stamens ca. 5 

mm. Nutlets yellow-brown, small pitted. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Oct. 

Wet areas; 0–3500 m. In all provinces [Cambodia, Japan, Korea, 

Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam; North 

America]. 

Source of mint oil. Used in cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, and oral 

preparations. 

2. Mentha sachalinensis (Briquet ex Miyabe & Miyake) 

Kudô, J. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo 43(10): 47. 1921. 

东北薄荷 dong bei bo he 

Mentha arvensis Linnaeus subsp. haplocalyx Briquet var. 

sachalinensis Briquet ex Miyabe & Miyake, Fl. Saghalin 361. 

1916; M. arvensis var. piperascens Holmes; M. sachalinensis 

(Briquet) Kudô var. arguta Kitagawa. 


striate, densely retrorse pubescent along angles, little 

branched. Petiole 0.5–1.5 cm; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate, 

(2.5–)4–9×1–3.5 cm, glandular, ciliate, puberulent on veins, 

base attenuate, margin shallow serrate, apex acute. 

Verticillasters axillary, many flowered, globose, to 1.5 cm in 

diam., short pedunculate; floral leaves subsessile, 

sublanceolate; bracteoles linear to linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm, 

ciliate. Pedicel ca. 2 mm, glabrous. Calyx campanulate, ca. 

1.5 mm, densely pilose, yellow glandular, mouth and teeth 

pilose inside; teeth narrowly triangular, ca. 1.5 mm, apex 

acute. Corolla purplish or purplish red, ca. 4 mm, pilose; lobes 

ovate-oblong, upper emarginate. Anterior stamens slightly 

longer, ca. 5 mm. Nutlets yellow-brown, oblong, glabrous, 

ribbed. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep. 

Wet grasslands near rivers, lakes; 200–1100 m. Heilongjiang, 

Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol [Japan, Russia]. 

3. Mentha dahurica Fischer ex Bentham, Labiat. Gen. Spec. 

181. 1836. 

兴安薄荷 xing an bo he 


rarely branched, base leafless, retrorse puberulent, sometimes 

purplish. Petiole 7–10 mm; leaf blade ovate to oblong, ca. 

3 × 1.3 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, abaxially 

glandular on veins, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin 

shallow crenate-serrate to subentire, apex acute to obtuse. 

Verticillasters 5–13-flowered, generally 2, in terminal capitate 

inflorescences longer than floral leaves; peduncle 2–10 mm, 

puberulent; bracteoles linear, curved upward. Pedicel 1–3 mm. 

Calyx tubular-campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm, veins conspicuous, 

puberulent; teeth broadly triangular, ca. 0.5 mm, apex acute; 

fruiting calyx broadly campanulate. Corolla reddish or rose 

purplish, ca. 5 mm, glabrous, throat puberulent, gradually 

dilated from base; lobes circular, ca. 1 mm, obtuse, upper lobe 

conspicuously 2-lobulate. Anterior stamens equal to slightly 

longer than corolla. Ovary brown, glabrous. Fl. Jul-Aug. 

Meadows; 600 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Mongol 

[Japan, Russia] 

4. Mentha longifolia (Linnaeus) Hudson, Fl. Angl. 221. 1762. 

欧薄荷 ou bo he 

Mentha spicata Linnaeus var. longifolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 

2: 576. 1753; M. sylvestris Linnaeus, 1763. 

Plants rhizomatous, perennial. Stems erect, to 1 m, much 

branched, whitish, striate, retrorse short tomentosevillous. 

Leaf blade ovate to oblong-lanceolate, to 6×1.5 cm, 

appressed tomentose-villous, subglabrescent, base rounded to 

shallow cordate, margin coarsely irregular serrate-dentate, 

apex acute. Verticillasters in cylindric terminal spikes 3– 

8 cm, lower ones somewhat lax; floral leaves linear-subulate, 

mostly shorter than verticillasters. Pedicel to 2 mm. Calyx 

campanulate, ca. 2 mm, tomentose-villous, obscurely 5veined; 

teeth linear-subulate, ca. 1 mm, close together in fruit. 

Corolla purplish, ca. 4 mm, sparsely puberulent; tube ca. 2 

mm, gradually dilated upward; lobes oblong, obtuse; upper 

lobe oblong-ovate, emarginate. Ovary glabrous. Fl. Jul-Sep. 

Nanjing Shi, Shanghai Shi, and other cities [Russia; SW Asia, 

Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. A polymorphic aromatic herb used 

medicinally. 

Mentha asiatica, M. vagans, and the Himalayan 

M. royleana Bentham all are very closely related to and perhaps 

doubtfully distinct from M. longifolia. Further work is needed to 

fully assess their correct status. 

5. Mentha asiatica Borissova-Bekrjasheva, Bot. Mater. Gerb. 

Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 16: 280. 1954. 

假薄荷 jia bo he 

Herbs rhizomatous, perennial. Stems erect, (30–)50– 

120(–150) cm, few branched, densely minutely tomentose. 

Petiole 0.1–0.5 mm; leaf blade oblong or elliptic to oblonglanceolate, 

3–8×1–2.5 cm, sometimes folded and curved 

downward, sometimes glaucous, appressed crisped minutely 

tomentose, glandular, base rounded to broadly cuneate, 

margin remotely unequal dentate, apex acute. Verticillasters 

in terminal cylindric spikes 3–8×1–1.4 cm; bracts linear to 

subulate, 5–7 mm; bracteoles subulate, nearly as long as calyx. 

Pedicel ca. 1 mm. Calyx ± purple-red, campanulate to 

funnelform, 1.5–2 mm, appressed pubescent, obscurely 

veined; teeth linear, close together in fruit. Corolla purple-red, 

4–5 mm, pilose, tube gradually dilated, lobes ca. 1 mm; upper 

lobe oblong-ovate, ca. 2×1.5 mm, apex emarginate. Nutlets 

brown, ca. 1 mm, apex pilose, pitted. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Oct. 

Riverbanks, landfills, waste areas, wet valleys; 0–3100 m. 

Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia]. 

6. Mentha vagans Borissova-Bekrjasheva, Bot. Mater. Gerb. 

Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 16: 282. 1954. 

灰薄荷 hui bo he 


densely tomentose, glabrescent, purple-red, base with 

exfoliating bark; branches many, long, divaricate. Petiole ca. 

1 mm; leaf blade elliptic to oblong, 1–2.5 cm×5–13 mm, 

generally shorter than internodes, sometimes curvedconduplicate, 

densely gray tomentose, base rounded to 

shallow cordate, margin serrate-dentate, apex acute to 

subobtuse. Verticillasters in cylindric spikes 2–2.5 cm×ca. 

8 mm, lower spikes ± separated; bracts filiform. Pedicel ca. 

1 mm. Calyx campanulate, to 2 mm, crisped pilose, obscurely 

5-veined; teeth lanceolate, ca. 0.5 mm, apex spinescent, close 

together in fruit. Corolla 3–3.5 mm, lobes ovate, subequal, 

pilose; upper lobe longer, oblong-ovate, ca. 1.5 mm, 

emarginate. Nutlets ovoid, ca. 0.6×0.5 mm, brown, sparsely 

hairy, pitted. Fl. Jul-Aug. 

Riverbanks. Xinjiang [Tajikistan, Turkmenistan; SW Asia].

7. Mentha ×piperita Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 576. 1753. 

辣薄荷 la bo he 

Stems erect-ascending, 30–100 cm tall, branched, 

purple-red, glabrous or angles sparsely minutely hispid. 

Petiole 1–2 mm, purple; leaf blade lanceolate to ovatelanceolate, 

2.5–3×0.8–2 cm, glabrous or abaxially minutely 

hispid on veins, densely glandular, base rounded to shallow 

cordate, margin unequally acute serrate, apex acute. 

Verticillasters in cylindric terminal spikes, interrupted at base; 

bracts linear-lanceolate, slightly longer than calyx, ciliate. 

Pedicel ca. 1 mm. Calyx tubular, tinged purple, puberulent or 

subglabrous, glandular outside; teeth 5, linear-subulate, ca. 1 

mm, ciliate. Corolla white, tinged red on lobes, ca. 4 mm, 

tube nearly as long as calyx; lobes subequal, upper emarginate. 

Nutlets brown, obovoid, ca. 0.7 mm, apex glandular. Fl. Jul, fr. 

Aug. 

Beijing Shi, Nanjing Shi, and other cities [India, Japan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tukmenistan; SW Asia, Europe, North America]. 

Cultivated in China. Source of peppermint oil, an essential oil 

used for flavoring confectionery, candies, liqueur, and chewing gum. 

The dried plant is used medicinally as a carminative, nervine, and 

stimulant, while menthol is used in nasal sprays. 

A hybrid: Mentha aquatica Linnaeus× M. spicata Linnaeus. 

8. Mentha citrata Ehrhart, Beitr. Naturk. 7: 150. 1792. 

柠檬留兰香 ning meng liu lan xiang 

Mentha ×piperita Linnaeus var. citrata (Ehrhart) Briquet. 

Herbs perennial, bearing leafy stolons, glabrous or 

subglabrous throughout. Petiole of middle stem leaves ca. 

2 mm; leaf blade broadly ovate to elliptic, 2–4×1.5–3 cm, 

base rounded to shallow cordate, margin remotely serrate, 

apex obtuse; upper leaves reduced, sometimes sublanceolate, 

apex acute. Verticillasters in terminal spikes 2.5–4 cm; bracts 

linear-lanceolate, shorter than verticillasters. Pedicel ca. 1 mm. 

Calyx tubular, ca. 1.5 mm, glandular; teeth linear-subulate, ca. 

0.5 mm. Corolla purplish, ca. 4 mm, tube ca. 2.5 mm. Fl. Jul- 

Aug. 

Beijing Shi, Hangzhou Shi, Nanjing Shi, and other cities 

[Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. 

Perhaps best regarded as a cultivar of Mentha ×piperita. 

9. Mentha spicata Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 576. 1753. 

留兰香 liu lan xiang 

Mentha spicata var. viridis Linnaeus; M. viridis 

(Linnaeus) Linnaeus. 

Herbs stoloniferous. Stems erect, 40–130 cm, glabrous or 

subglabrous, striate. Leaves sessile or subsessile, ovateoblong 

to oblong-lanceolate, 3–7×1–2 cm, base broadly 

cuneate to rounded, margin irregularly serrate, apex acute. 

Verticillasters in cylindric terminal spikes 4–10 cm, spikes 

interrupted at base; bracteoles linear, 5–8 mm. Pedicel ca. 

2 mm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 2 mm, glandular, obscurely 5veined; 

teeth triangular-lanceolate, ca. 1 mm. Corolla purplish, 

ca. 4 mm, glabrous, tube ca. 2 mm; lobes subequal, apex 

emarginate. Ovary brown, glabrous. Fl. Jul-Sep. 

Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Sichuan, 

Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Russia, Turkmenistan; Africa, SW Asia; 

Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. Source of spearmint oil, an essential oil 

used for flavoring candies, toothpaste, chewing gum. Dried tops and 

leaves are used medicinally as a stimulant, carminative, and nervine. 

It contains carvone. 

10. Mentha crispata Schrader ex Willdenow, Enum. 

Pl. 608. 1809. 

皱叶留兰香 zhou ye liu lan xiang 

Herbs rhizomatous. Stems erect, 30–60 cm, purplish, 

glabrous. Leaves sessile or subsessile, ovate to ovatelanceolate, 

2–3×1.2–2 cm, papery, base rounded to shallow 

cordate, margin serrate, apex acute. Verticillasters in terminal 

spikes 2.5–3×ca. 1 cm, continuous or ± interrupted at base; 

bracts linear-lanceolate, slightly longer than calyx. Pedicel ca. 

1 mm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 1.5 mm, subglabrous, 

glandular, obscurely 5-veined; teeth triangular-lanceolate, ca. 

0.1 mm, ciliate. Corolla purplish, ca. 3.5 mm, glabrous, tube 

ca. 2 mm; lobes subequal, apex emarginate. Ovary brown, 

glabrous. Nutlets brown, triquetrous, ovoid, ca. 0.7 mm, 

sparsely glandular. 

Beijing Shi, Hangzhou Shi, Kunming Shi, Nanjing Shi, 

Shanghai Shi [Russia; Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. Source of German spearmint oil. Young 

shoots and leaves edible. 

A form/cultivar of M. spicata Linnaeus. 

11. Mentha suaveolens Ehrhart, Beitr. Naturk. 7: 149. 1792. 

圆叶薄荷 yuan ye bo he 

Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, stoloniferous. Stems erect, 

30–80 cm, striate, crisped villous, pyramidally 

branched. Leaves usually sessile, circular to oblong-ovate, 2– 

4.5×1.5–3 cm, villous, base cordate, margin crenate or 

crenate-serrate, apex obtuse. Verticillasters in terminal, dense 

cylindric spikes 2–4×ca. 0.6 cm, lower 1 or 2 ± widely spaced; 

bracts lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, crisped. Pedicel ca. 1 mm, 

glabrous. Calyx broadly campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm, pubescent, 

subglobose, dilated in fruit, not constricted at throat, 

obscurely veined; teeth lanceolate-subulate, ca. 1 mm. Corolla 

white, purplish, bluish or purple, ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous, tube 

ca. 1.5 mm; lobes subequal, upper emarginate. Ovary 

glabrous. Nutlets unknown. 

Beijing Shi, Kunming Shi, Nanjing Shi, Shanghai Shi, Yunnan 

(Lijiang Xian) [Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. 

Most widely known as Mentha rotundifolia (Linnaeus) Hudson, 

but the holotype of that species has been shown to be a different plant 

of hybrid origin. 

12. Mentha pulegium Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 577. 1753. 

唇萼薄_ chun e bo he 

Pulegium vulgare Miller.

Herbs. Stolons with scalelike leaves. Stems ascending, 

rarely erect or trailing, 15–30(–50) cm, hirtellous, striate, 

tinged red-purple, much branched, internodes generally longer 

than leaves. Leaf blade ovate-orbicular to ovate, 0.8–1.3 

cm×5–7 mm, herbaceous, puberulent, base rounded, margin 

entire or sometimes remotely crenate, apex obtuse. 

Verticillasters 10–30-flowered, globose, 1–1.5 cm in diam., 

few, widely spaced; floral leaves sessile, recurved, shorter 

than verticillasters. Pedicel 2–3 mm. Calyx tubular, 2-lipped, 

2.5–3 mm, hirtellous, glandular, throat bearded, 

± conspicuously 10-veined, tube ca. 1.5 mm; upper lip 3toothed, 

teeth lanceolate-triangular, ca. 1 mm; lower lip 2toothed, 

teeth subulate, ca. 1.5 mm. Corolla rose, purple or 

rarely white, ca. 4.5 mm, puberulent; tube ca. 3 mm, abruptly 

saccate at apex; lobes oblong, ca. 1.5 mm, entire, upper 

lanceolate. Ovary glabrous. Fl. Sep. 

Beijing Shi, Nanjing Shi, and other cities [Russia, 

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan; SW Asia, Europe]. 

Cultivated in China. Source of oil of pennyroyal. Employed 

in the manufacture of soaps and synthetic menthol. Used 

medicinally for flatulent colic, stomach ailments, and as a 

diaphoretic.

69. MENTHA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 576. 1753.

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