You are here
Lamiaceae Taxonomy Browser
Mentha arvensis L.
EOL Text
Mentha arvensis (field mint (पुदीना/ Pudina,"Podina" in Hindi), wild mint or corn mint) is a species of mint with a circumboreal distribution. It is native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America.[1][2][3]
Description[edit]
Wild mint is a herbaceous perennial plant generally growing to 10–60 cm (3.9–23.6 in) and rarely up to 100 cm (39 in) tall. It has a creeping rootstock from which grow erect or semi-sprawling squarish stems. The leaves are in opposite pairs, simple, 2–6.5 cm (0.79–2.56 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad, hairy, and with a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers are pale purple (occasionally white or pink), in whorls on the stem at the bases of the leaves. Each flower is 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in) long and has a five-lobed hairy calyx, a four-lobed corolla with the uppermost lobe larger than the others and four stamens. The fruit is a two-chambered carpel.[3][4][5][6]
Subspecies[edit]
There are six subspecies:[1]
- Mentha arvensis subsp. arvensis.
- Mentha arvensis subsp. agrestis (Sole) Briq.
- Mentha arvensis subsp. austriaca (Jacq.) Briq.
- Mentha arvensis subsp. lapponica (Wahlenb.) Neuman
- Mentha arvensis subsp. palustris (Moench) Neumann
- Mentha arvensis subsp. parietariifolia (Becker) Briq.
The related species Mentha canadensis is also included in M. arvensis by some authors as two varieties, M. arvensis var. glabrata Fernald (in reference to North American plants) and M. arvensis var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey (in reference to eastern Asian plants).[7][8]
Uses[edit]
In ayurveda, Pudina is considered as appetizer and useful in gastric troubles.[9] In Europe, wild mint was traditionally used to treat flatulence, digestional problems, gall bladder problems and coughs. The Aztecs used it for similar purposes and also to induce sweating and they used the infusion to cure insomnia. The oil was extracted and rubbed into the skin for aches and pains. The Native Americans also used it in several traditional ways. Nowadays it is used in many countries for various ailments. Mint extracts and menthol-related chemicals are used in food, drinks, cough medicines, creams and cigarettes.[10]
Chemical substances that can be extracted from wild mint include menthol, menthone, isomenthone, neomenthol, limonene, methyl acetate, piperitone, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, tannins and flavonoids.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Euro+Med Plantbase Project: Mentha arvensis
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Mentha arvensis
- ^ a b Flora of NW Europe: Mentha arvensis
- ^ Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
- ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
- ^ "Corn mint: Mentha arvensis". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Mentha canadensis
- ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (1947). CRC World dictionary of plant names: Common names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synyonyms, and Etymology. III M-Q. CRC Press. p. 1659.
- ^ Khalsa, Karta Purkh Singh; Tierra, Michael (2008). The way of ayurvedic herbs : the most complete guide to natural healing and health with traditional ayurvedic herbalism (1st ed. ed.). Twin Lakes, Wis.: Lotus. p. 313. ISBN 0940985985.
- ^ a b "Mentha Arvensis Piperascens". Boston Healing Landscape Project. Boston University School of Medicine. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mentha arvensis. |
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mentha_arvensis&oldid=623006906 |
Habit: Herb
Field Mint occurs primarily in central and northern Illinois, where it is occasional; this species also occurs in scattered counties of southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). The most common variety is Mentha arvensis villosa, which is believed to be native. The typical Eurasian variety also occurs in the same general area, but it is less common. Habitats include edges of marshes, fens, borders of lakes, moist prairies and grassy areas, and miscellaneous waste areas, including landfills. The rhizomes of this plant can survive earth-moving operations and produce new foliage if they remain near the surface of the ground. Field Mint is most often encountered in disturbed areas.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wild_mintx.htm |
Mentha arvensis (Field Mint)
(Insect visitors suck nectar; some observations are from Krombein et al. as indicated below, otherwise they are from Robertson)
Bees (long-tongued)
Megachilidae (Trypetini): Heriades carinatum (Kr), Heriades variolosa variolosa (Kr)
Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Augochlorella striata; Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes kincaidii (Kr)
Wasps
Sphecidae (Bembicinae): Bembix nubilipennis; Sphecidae (Philanthinae): Eucerceris zonata; Sphecidae (Sphecinae): Ammophila kennedyi, Eremnophila aureonotata, Isodontia apicalis, Sphex nudus; Sapygidae: Sapyga interrupta; Tiphiidae: Myzinum quinquecincta fq; Pompilidae: Anoplius marginatus
Flies
Syrphidae: Eristalis arbustorum, Milesia virginiensis, Syritta pipiens, Tropidia quadrata; Empidae: Empis clausa; Bombyliidae: Exoprosopa fascipennis; Conopidae: Physoconops brachyrhynchus; Tachinidae: Archytas analis, Archytas aterrima fq, Estheria abdominalis, Scotiptera parvicornis (Townsend, MS); Muscidae: Neomyia cornicina
Butterflies
Pieridae: Pieris rapae
Skippers
Hesperiidae: Ancyloxypha numitor
Beetles
Cantharidae: Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects//plants/field_mint.htm |
Primarily flies and wasps visit the flowers for nectar. Other occasional visitors include small bees, small butterflies, and skippers. The strong mint fragrance of the foliage usually deters most mammalian herbivores, although cattle and livestock may consume this plant along with the grass. It is possible that the anti-bacterial properties of the floral oil disrupts populations of beneficial bacteria within the digestive tract of herbivores with multi-chambered stomachs, causing indigestion. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wild_mintx.htm |
Foodplant / parasite
effuse colony of Botryosporium anamorph of Botryosporium pulchrum parasitises live Mentha arvensis
Other: minor host/prey
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
cleistothecium of Erysiphe biocellata parasitises live Mentha arvensis
Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Meligethes gagathinus feeds on Mentha arvensis
Foodplant / false gall
telium of Puccinia menthae causes swelling of live, elongated shoot of Mentha arvensis
Other: major host/prey
Foodplant / spot causer
punctiform pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph of Septoria menthae causes spots on fading leaf of Mentha arvensis
Remarks: season: 8
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 7
Specimens with Barcodes: 13
Species With Barcodes: 1
Field Mint can be distinguished from the cultivated mints primarily by its distinct whorls of flowers. According to Mohlenbrock (2002), the native variety of Field Mint, Mentha arvensis villosa, has petioles that are longer than the clusters of flowers and its leaf blades are more wedge-shaped at the base than the typical Eurasian variety, Mentha arvensis arvensis. The hairiness of individual plants is also variable. Field Mint occasionally hybridizes with Mentha spicata (Spearmint) and other mints, producing such hybrids as Mentha × gentilis, Mentha × cardiaca, and others. Many of these hybrids have naturalized in Illinois, preferring similar habitats to Field Mint. Like the cultivated mints, Field Mint can be used to make a pleasant herbal tea. In humans, the floral oil of mints is more likely to disrupt populations of harmful bacteria, reducing flatulence and other digestive problems.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wild_mintx.htm |
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Mentha+arvensis |