''Minthostachys'' is a genus 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 ...

, comprising aromatic scandent shrubs. It occurs along the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

from Northern

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

through

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

to Central

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
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Use and conservation

The plants are valued by the local population for their content in essential oils, mostly

pulegone Pulegone is a naturally occurring organic compound obtained from the essential oils of a variety of plants such as ''Nepeta cataria'' (catnip), ''Mentha piperita'', and Mentha pulegium, pennyroyal. It is classified as a monoterpene, monoterpenoid ...

and

menthone Menthone is a chemical compound of the monoterpene class of naturally occurring organic compounds found in a number of essential oils, one that presents with minty flavor. It is a specific pair of stereoisomers of the four possible such isomers ...

, but also

limonene Limonene () is a colorless liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic monoterpene, and is the major component in the essential oil of citrus fruit peels. The (+)-isomer, occurring more commonly in nature as the fragrance of oranges, ...

carvone Carvone is a member of a family of chemicals called terpenoids. Carvone is found naturally in many essential oils, but is most abundant in the oils from seeds of caraway (''Carum carvi''), spearmint (''Mentha spicata''), and dill. Uses Food appli ...

carvacrol Carvacrol, or cymophenol, C6H3(CH3)(OH)C3H7, is a monoterpene, monoterpenoid phenol. It has a characteristic pungent, warm odor of oregano. Natural occurrence Carvacrol is present in the essential oil of ''Origanum vulgare'' (oregano), oil of t ...

thymol Thymol (also known as 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, IPMP), , is a toxic monoterpenoid phenol derivative of ''p''-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol. It occurs naturally in the oil of thyme, and it is extracted from ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thy ...

and similar substances. They are used as condiments, medicinally against illnesses of the respiratory and digestive systems, and traditionally for the protection of stored tubers against pests, especially in Southern Peru. In Argentina and Peru, the essential oils are extracted commercially on a larger scale, and at least locally, this has led to

overexploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting or ecological overshoot, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to ...

in recent years. Argentine researchers are looking for ways to protect ''Minthostachys'' or to take it into cultivation to meet increasing demand.Noticias Ambientales de la Provincia de Córdoba: Escasez de peperina, el yuyo cordobés
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Important species and common names

The best known species are '' Minthostachys mollis'' distributed from Venezuela to Bolivia and '' Minthostachys verticillata'' of Argentina. Many species have a relatively restricted distribution but are locally common, like '' Minthostachys acutifolia'' around La Paz and '' Minthostachys ovata'' in central Bolivia. The common names used by the people of the Andes usually do not differentiate between species, but vary by region. In Ecuador, the genus is called tipo or poleo, in northern Peru chancua, from central Peru to Bolivia muña, in Bolivia q'oa and in Argentina peperina is the most frequently used name.

Species

Currently recognized species # '' Minthostachys acris'' Schmidt-Leb. - Peru # '' Minthostachys acutifolia'' Epling - Bolivia # '' Minthostachys andina'' (Britton ex Rusby) Epling - La Paz region of Bolivia # '' Minthostachys diffusa'' Epling - La Paz region of Bolivia # '' Minthostachys dimorpha'' Schmidt-Leb. - Peru # '' Minthostachys elongata'' Schmidt-Leb. - Tarija region of Bolivia # '' Minthostachys fusca'' Schmidt-Leb. - La Paz region of Bolivia # '' Minthostachys glabrescens'' (Benth.) Epling - Ecuador # '' Minthostachys latifolia'' Schmidt-Leb. - Peru, Bolivia # '' Minthostachys mollis'' (Benth.) Griseb. - Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru # '' Minthostachys ovata'' (Briq.) Epling - Bolivia # '' Minthostachys rubra'' Schmidt-Leb. - Ecuador # '' Minthostachys salicifolia'' Epling - Peru # '' Minthostachys septentrionalis'' Schmidt-Leb. - Venezuela, Colombia # '' Minthostachys setosa'' (Briq.) Epling - Bolivia # '' Minthostachys spicata'' (Benth.) Epling - Ecuador, Peru # '' Minthostachys verticillata'' (Griseb.) Epling - Argentina

References

{{Authority control Lamiaceae Lamiaceae genera Flora of Southern America