''Mentha suaveolens'', the apple mint, pineapple mint, woolly mint or round-leafed mint (

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

''M. rotundifolia'', ''Mentha macrostachya'', ''Mentha insularis''), is a member of the mint family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

. It is native to southern and western

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

including the Mediterranean region. It is a

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

, upright

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb or for ground cover.

Description

Apple mint typically grows to a height of from tall and spreads by

stolon In biology, a stolon ( from Latin ''wikt:stolo, stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal ...

s to form clonal colonies. The foliage is light green, with the opposite, wrinkled, sessile

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

being oblong to nearly ovate, long and broad. They are somewhat hairy on top and downy underneath with serrated edges. The flowers develop in terminal spikes long and consisting of a number of whorls of white or pinkish flowers. Apple mint flowers in mid to late summer. The plant is aromatic with a fruity, minty flavour.

Taxonomy

Hybrids

''Mentha suaveolens'' hybridizes with other ''Mentha'' species. Hybrids include: * ''Mentha'' × ''villosa'' Huds. (hybrid with ''Mentha spicata'') * ''Mentha'' × ''rotundifolia'' (L.) Huds., 1782 (hybrid with ''Mentha longifolia'') * ''Mentha'' × ''suavis'' Guss., 1826 (hybrid with ''Mentha aquatica'')

Varieties and cultivars

There are several

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s commonly available

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

plant finder and selector https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=true&query=Mentha%20suaveolens in horticulture: * ''M. suaveolens'' 'Variegata' – common name pineapple mint – with variegated leaves and mauve flowers. * ''M. suaveolens'' 'Pineapple' – common name pineapple mint – with variegated leaves and creamy-white flowers. * ''M. suaveolens'' var. ''crispa'' 'Mojito' – with curled leaves and mauve-pink flowers. * ''Mentha suaveolens'' subsp. ''timija'', an endemic Moroccan variety, is known for its evergreen foliage and thrives along rivers in plains and mountains, displaying green leaves with a hairy texture.

Distribution

Apple mint is native to southern and western Europe and is naturalised in central and northern parts of Europe. It is found in damp and wet locations.

Cultivation and uses

An attractive herb, apple mint is often used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. It is hardy and easy to grow, preferring full sun to lightly shady conditions. The leaves of this plant can be used to make apple mint jelly, as well as a flavoring in dishes such as apple mint

couscous Couscous () is a traditional North African dish a quote: “Couscous or seksu (Image 1) in Berber language or kuskus in Arabic is by origin a Numidian (the Berber population of Numidia) dish…” of small steamed granules of rolled semolina ...

. It is also often used to make a mint tea, as a garnish, or in

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

s. Pineapple mint (''Mentha suaveolens'' 'Variegata') is a

of apple mint that has leaves which are banded with white. A

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

derived from it is grapefruit mint (''Mentha suaveolens × piperata''). Apple mint has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years in many parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

References

External links

* {{Mint suaveolens Garden plants Herbs Flora of Europe Plants described in 1792 Taxa named by Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart