Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Mentha ×piperita
peppermint
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho, further east across much of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Banks of streams and ditches, bottom lands and moist roadsides.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Introduced from Europe

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, butterflies

Description:
General:

Perennial herbs from creeping rhizomes, the square, upright stems 3-10 dm. tall, glabrous or glandular.

Leaves:

Leaves opposite, petiolate, the petioles of the principle leaves 4-15 mm. long, the blade ovate to lance-ovate, serrate, acute, 3-6 cm. long and 1.5-3 cm. wide.

Flowers:

Verticels of flowers crowded in dense, terminal spikes, 2-7 cm. long and 1-1.5 cm. wide; calyx 2.5-3 mm. long, the 5 lobes with marginal hairs, the tube hairless; corolla 3.5-5 mm. long, pink-lavender to white, nearly regular, 4-lobed; stamens 4, equal, exerted; style 2-parted; ovary 2-celled, superior.

Fruits:

Nutlets 4

Accepted Name:
Mentha ×piperita L.
Publication: Sp. Pl. 2: 576-577. 1753.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Mentha aquatica L. var. crispa (L.) Benth.
Mentha crispa L.
Mentha ×piperata L.
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Mentha ×piperita in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Mentha ×piperita checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Mentha ×piperita information.

E-Flora BC: Mentha ×piperita atlas page.

CalPhotos: Mentha ×piperita photos.

USDA Plants: Mentha ×piperita information.

31 photographs:
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