Editing Mentha (section)

== Taxonomy ==
''Mentha'' is a member of the tribe [[Mentheae]] in the subfamily [[Nepetoideae]]. The tribe contains about 65 genera, and relationships within it remain obscure.<ref name=Harl04/> Authors have disagreed on the [[Circumscription (taxonomy)|circumscription]] of ''Mentha''. For example, ''M.&nbsp;cervina'' has been placed in ''Pulegium'' and ''Preslia'', and ''M.&nbsp;cunninghamii'' has been placed in ''[[Micromeria]]''.<ref name=TuckNacz07/> In 2004, a [[molecular phylogenetics|molecular phylogenetic]] study indicated that both ''M. cervina'' and ''M. cunninghamii'' should be included in ''Mentha''.<ref name=Buns04/> However, ''M. cunninghamii'' was excluded in a 2007 treatment of the genus.<ref name=TuckNacz07/>

More than 3,000 names have been published in the genus ''Mentha'', at ranks from species to forms, the majority of which are regarded as [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]] or [[Nomen illegitimum|illegitimate name]]s. The taxonomy of the genus is made difficult because many species hybridize readily, or are themselves derived from possibly ancient hybridization events. Seeds from hybrids give rise to variable offspring, which may spread through vegetative propagation. The variability has led to what has been described as "paroxysms of species and subspecific taxa"; for example, one taxonomist published 434 new mint taxa for central Europe alone between 1911 and 1916.<ref name=TuckNacz07/> Recent sources recognize between 18<ref name=TuckNacz07/> and 24<ref name=POWO_30016176-2/> species.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Lamiaceae/Mentha/ | title=Mentha — the Plant List }}</ref>

===Species===
{{As of|2020|December}}, [[Plants of the World Online]] recognized the following species:<ref name=POWO_30016176-2/>
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*''[[Mentha alaica]]'' <small>Boriss.</small>
*''[[Mentha aquatica]]'' <small>L.</small> – water mint, marsh mint
*''[[Mentha arvensis]]'' <small>L.</small> – corn mint, wild mint, Japanese peppermint, field mint, banana mint
*''[[Mentha atrolilacina]]'' <small>[[Barry Conn|B.J.Conn]] & D.J.Duval</small> – slender mint
*''[[Mentha australis]]'' <small>R.Br.</small> – Australian mint
*''[[Mentha canadensis]]'' <small>L.</small> – Canada mint, American wild mint
*''[[Mentha cervina]]'' <small>L.</small> – Hart's pennyroyal
*''[[Mentha cunninghamii]]'' <small>(Benth.) Benth.</small> – New Zealand mint
*''[[Mentha dahurica]]'' <small>Fisch. ex Benth.</small> – Dahurian thyme
*''[[Mentha darvasica]]'' <small>Boriss.</small>
*''[[Mentha diemenica]]'' <small>Spreng.</small> – slender mint
*''[[Mentha gattefossei]]'' <small>Maire</small>
*''[[Mentha grandiflora]]'' <small>Benth.</small>
*''[[Mentha japonica]]'' <small>(Miq.) Makino</small>
*''[[Mentha laxiflora]]'' <small>Benth.</small> – forest mint
*''[[Mentha longifolia]]'' <small>(L.) L.</small> – horse mint
*''[[Mentha micrantha]]'' <small>(Fisch. ex Benth.) Heinr.Braun</small>
*''[[Mentha pamiroalaica]]'' <small>Boriss.</small>
*''[[Mentha pulegium]]'' <small>L.</small> – pennyroyal
*''[[Mentha requienii]]'' <small>Benth.</small> – Corsican mint
*''[[Mentha royleana]]'' <small>Wall. ex Benth.</small>
*''[[Mentha satureioides]]'' <small>R.Br.</small> – native pennyroyal
*''[[Mentha spicata]]'' <small>L.</small> – spearmint, garden mint (a cultivar of spearmint)
*''[[Mentha suaveolens]]'' <small>Ehrh.</small> – apple mint, pineapple mint (a variegated cultivar of apple mint)
{{div col end}}

=== Other species ===
There are a number of plants that have mint in the common English name but which do not belong to the genus ''Mentha'':<ref>{{cite web | url=https://da.corse-machin.com/article/mint_varieties | title=Myntsorter }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://denstoredanske.lex.dk/mynte | title=Mynte &#124; lex.dk | date=10 November 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/Mentha | title=Mint &#124; Description, Genus, Species, Uses, & Facts &#124; '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' | date=21 July 2023 }}</ref>
* ''[[Agastache]]'' sp. – known as horse mints
* ''[[Calamintha]]'' sp. (syn. ''Clinopodium'') – known as calamints
* ''[[Clinopodium acinos]]'' (syn. ''Acinos arvensis'') – known as backle mint
* ''[[Elsholtzia ciliata]]'' – known as comb mint, crested late summer mint
* ''[[Melissa officinalis]]'' – known as balm mint
* ''[[Nepeta]]'' sp. – known as cat mint or catnip
* ''[[Origanum]]'' sp. – known as rock mint
* ''[[Persicaria odorata]]'' – known as Vietnamese mint
* ''[[Sideritis|Sideritis montana]]'' – known as sider mint

=== Hybrids ===
[[File:CSA-Chocolate-Mint.jpg|thumb|The ''Mentha'' × ''piperita'' hybrid known as "chocolate mint"]]
The mint genus has a large grouping of recognized hybrids. Those accepted by Plants of the World Online are listed below.<ref name=POWO_30016176-2/> Parent species are taken from Tucker & Naczi (2007).<ref name=TuckNacz07/> Synonyms, along with cultivars and varieties where available, are included within the specific nothospecies.

*[[Mentha × carinthiaca|''Mentha'' × ''carinthiaca'']] <small>Host</small> - ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. suaveolens''
*[[Mentha × dalmatica|''Mentha'' × ''dalmatica'']] <small>Tausch</small> - ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. longifolia''
*[[Mentha × dumetorum|''Mentha'' × ''dumetorum'']] <small>Schult.</small> - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. longifolia''
*[[Mentha × gayeri|''Mentha'' × ''gayeri'']] <small>Trautm.</small> - ''M. longifolia'' × ''M. spicata'' × ''M. suaveolens''
*[[Mentha × gracilis|''Mentha'' × ''gracilis'']] <small>Sole</small> (<small>syn. ''Mentha'' × ''gentilis''</small>) - ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. spicata'' – ginger mint, Scotch spearmint
*[[Mentha × kuemmerlei|''Mentha'' × ''kuemmerlei'']] <small>Trautm.</small> - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. spicata'' × ''M. suaveolens''
*[[Mentha × locyana|''Mentha'' × ''locyana'']] <small>Borbás</small> - ''M. longifolia'' × ''M. verticillata''
*[[Peppermint|''Mentha'' × ''piperita'']] <small>L.</small> - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. spicata'' – peppermint, chocolate mint
*[[Mentha × pyramidalis|''Mentha'' × ''pyramidalis'']] <small>Ten.</small> - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. microphylla''
*[[Mentha × rotundifolia|''Mentha'' × ''rotundifolia'']] <small>(L.) Huds.</small> - ''M. longifolia'' × ''M. suaveolens'' – false apple mint
*[[Mentha × suavis|''Mentha'' × ''suavis'']] <small>Guss.</small> (<small>syn. ''Mentha'' × ''amblardii'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450179-1 | title=Mentha × amblardii Debeaux &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × lamiifolia'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450678-1 | title=Mentha × lamiifolia Ten. &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × langii'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77244175-1 | title=Mentha × langii Steud. Ex Hagenb. &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × mauponii'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450764-1 | title=Mentha × mauponii Gadeceau &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × maximilianea'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:450766-1 | title=Mentha × maximilianea F.W.Schultz &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × rodriguezii'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:451071-1 | title=Mentha × rodriguezii Malinv. &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> ''Mentha × weissenburgensis''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77243790-1 | title=Mentha × weissenburgensis F.W.Schultz &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref></small>) - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. suaveolens''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:451192-1 | title=Mentha × suavis Guss. &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref>
*[[Mentha × verticillata|''Mentha'' × ''verticillata'']] <small>L.</small> - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. arvensis''
*[[Mentha × villosa|''Mentha'' × ''villosa'']] <small>Huds.</small> (<small>syn. ''M. nemorosa''</small>) - ''M. spicata'' × ''M. suaveolens'' – large apple mint, foxtail mint, hairy mint, woolly mint, Cuban mint, mojito mint, and ''yerba buena'' in Cuba
*[[Mentha × villosa-nervata|''Mentha'' × ''villosa-nervata'']] <small>Opiz</small> - ''M. longifolia'' × ''M. spicata'' – sharp-toothed mint
*[[Mentha × wirtgeniana|''Mentha'' × ''wirtgeniana'']] <small>F.W.Schultz</small> (<small>syn. ''Mentha'' × ''smithiana''</small>) - ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. spicata'' – red raripila mint

=== Common names and cultivars ===
There are hundreds of common English names for species and cultivars of ''Mentha''. These include:
* Apple mint - ''Mentha suaveolens'' and ''Mentha × rotundifolia''
* Banana mint - ''Mentha arvensis'' 'Banana'
* Bowles mint - ''Mentha villosa'' and ''Mentha × villosa'' 'Alopecuroides'
* Canada mint - ''Mentha canadensis''
* Chocolate mint - ''Mentha × piperita'' 'Chocolate'
* Corsican mint - ''Mentha requienii''
* Cuba mint - ''Mentha × villosa''
* Curly mint - ''Mentha spicata'' 'Curly'
* Eau de Cologne mint - ''Mentha × piperita'' 'Citrata'
* Field mint - ''Mentha arvensis''
* Flea mint - ''Mentha requienii'' 
* Ginger mint - ''Mentha × gracilis''
* Gray mint - ''Mentha longifolia''
* Green mint - ''Mentha spicata'' 
* Grey mint - ''Mentha longifolia''
* Japanese peppermint - ''Mentha arvensis'' var. ''piperascens''
* Japanese mint or Japanese medicine mint - ''Mentha spicata'' 'Abura'
* Kiwi mint - ''Mentha cunninghamii''
* Lemon mint - ''Mentha × piperita'' var. ''citrata'' and ''Mentha × gentilis''
* Marsh mint - ''Mentha aquatica''
* Meadow mint - ''Mentha × gracilis'' and ''Mentha arvensis''
* Mojito mint - ''Mentha spicata'' 'Mojito'
* Moroccan mint - ''Mentha spicata var. crispa'' 'Moroccan' and mints collected in Morocco
* Pennyroyal - ''Mentha pulegium''
* Peppermint - ''Mentha × piperita'' and sometimes ''Mentha requienii''
* Pineapple mint - ''Mentha suaveolens'' 'Variegata' and ''Mentha suaveolens'' 'Pineapple' 
* Polemint - ''Mentha pulegium''
* Red raripila mint - ''Mentha × wirtgeniana''
* Round leaf mint - ''Mentha suaveolens''
* Spearmint - ''Mentha spicata''
* Strawberry mint - ''Mentha × piperita'' 'Strawberry'
* Swiss mint - ''Mentha × piperita'' 'Swiss'
* Tall mint - ''Mentha × wirtgeniana''
* Tea mint - ''Mentha × verticillata''
* Toothmint - ''Mentha × smithiana''
* Water mint - ''Mentha aquatica''
* Woolly mint - ''Mentha × rotundifolia''