Mentha

Mentha longifolia

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Lamiales
Classification System: APG IV Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Diaphoretickes Cladus: CAM Cladus: Archaeplastida Regnum: Plantae Cladus: Angiosperms Cladus: Eudicots Cladus: Core eudicots Cladus: Asterids Cladus: Lamiids Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Lamiaceae
Subfamilia: Nepetoideae
Tribus: Mentheae
Subtribus: Menthinae
Genus: Mentha
Species: M. alaica – M. aquatica – M. arvensis – M. atrolilacina – M. australis – M. canadensis – M. cervina – M. choujunensis – M. cunninghamii – M. dahurica – M. darvasica – M. diemenica – M. gattefossei – M. grandiflora – M. japonica – M. laxiflora – M. longifolia – M. micrantha – M. pamiroalaica – M. pulegium – M. requienii – M. royleana – M. satureioides – M. spicata – M. suaveolens
Nothospecies: M. × carinthiaca – M. × dalmatica – M. × dumetorum – M. × gayeri – M. × gracilis – M. × kuemmerlei – M. × locyana – M. × piperita – M. × pyramidalis – M. × rotundifolia – M. × verticillata – M. × villosa – M. × villosa-nervata – M. × wirtgeniana

• This taxon list was last updated on 14 Dec. 2025.

Name

Mentha L., Sp. Pl. 2: 576 (1753).

• Type species: Mentha spicata L., Sp. Pl. 2: 576 (1753).

Synonyms

• Heterotypic
  • Pulegium Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr. ed. 4 (1754).
  • Preslia Opiz, Naturalientausch 8: 86 (1824).
  • Audibertia Benth., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 15: t (1282). 1829.
    • Salvia sect. Audibertia (Benth.) Epling, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 25: 98. 1938 publ. 1937.
      • Type species: A. pusilla
        Benth
  • Menthella Pérard, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 17: 205 (1870).
  • Minthe St.-Lag., Ann. Soc. Bot. Lyon 7: 130 (1880).

Distribution

Native distribution areas:

Native to: Africa Northern Africa Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia. Macaronesia Azores, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Madeira. Southern Africa Cape Provinces, Eswatini, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Namibia, Northern Provinces. West Tropical Africa Chad. East Tropical Africa Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda. South Tropical Africa Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Asia-Temperate Western Asia Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Iran, Iraq, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Sinai, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe. Caucasus North Caucasus, Transcaucasus. Middle Asia Afghanistan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. China China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang. Mongolia Mongolia, Tuva. Eastern Asia Japan, Korea. Russian Far East Amur, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk, Kuril Is., Magadan, Primorye, Sakhalin, Yakutiya. Siberia Altay, Buryatiya, Chita, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, West Siberia. Arabian Peninsula Saudi Arabia. Asia-Tropical Indian Subcontinent India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Himalaya. Indo-China Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar. Malesia Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera. Europe Northern Europe Baltic States, Denmark, Finland, Føroyar, Great Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Svalbard, Sweden. Middle Europe Austria, Belgium, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland. Eastern Europe Belarus, East European Russia, South European Russia, Ukraine. Southeastern Europe Albania, Bulgaria, Corse, Greece, İtalya, Kriti, Krym, Kuzeybatı Balkan Yarımadası, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia. Southwestern Europe Baleares, France, Portugal, Spain. Northwest European Russia Northwest European Russia, North European Russia. Northern America Subarctic America Alaska, Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon. Eastern Canada New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec. Western Canada Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan. Northeastern U.S.A. Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin. North-Central U.S.A. Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota. Northwestern U.S.A. Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming. Southeastern U.S.A. Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia. Southwestern U.S.A. Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah. Mexico Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest. Oceania Australasia Chatham Is., New Zealand North, New Zealand South, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria. Introduced into Africa Atlantic Ocean St.Helena, Tristan da Cunha. West Tropical Africa Gambia, Guinea, Niger. Northeast Tropical Africa Eritrea. Middle Africa Congo. Southern Africa Tristan da Cunha. Western Indian Ocean Comoros. Asia-Tropical Indian Subcontinent Bangladesh. Northern America Northeastern U.S.A. District of Columbia. Southeastern U.S.A. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina. Pacific Southeastern Pacific Galápagos, Juan Fernández Is. Southwestern Pacific Fiji, Norfolk Is. Northwestern Pacific Marianas. North Central Pacific Hawaii, Society Is. Micronesia Caroline Is., Gilbert Is. Southern America Caribbean Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago. Central America Costa Rica, Panamá. Subantarctic Islands Amsterdam-St.Paul Is. Southern South America Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile North, Chile South, Uruguay. Western South America Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela. Brazil Brazil South. Southern Atlantic Ocean Falkland Is., Tristan da Cunha. Northern America Mexico Mexico Southwest. Arabian Peninsula Oman. Southern America Prince Edward I. Prince Edward I. Northern America Atlantic Bermuda. References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References

Primary references

• Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus II: 576. Reference page. 

Additional references

• Govaerts, R.H.A. 2003. World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [unavailable for the public] Reference page. 

Links

• Govaerts, R. et al. 2023. Mentha in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2023 November 23. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2022. Mentha. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 Apr 20. Reference page. 
• Hassler, M. 2023. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Mentha. Accessed: 23 November 2023. Reference page. 
• Tropicos.org 2022. Mentha. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 20 Apr 2022. Reference page.
• International Plant Names Index. 2022. Mentha. Published online. Accessed: Apr 20 2022. Reference page.

Vernacular names

• አማርኛ: እባን
• Ænglisc: Minte
• ܐܪܡܝܐ: ܢܢܥܐ
• العربية: نعناع
• azərbaycanca: Nanə
• беларуская: Мята
• български: Мента
• brezhoneg: Bent
• bosanski: Metvica
• català: Menta
• 閩東語 / Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄: Bŏk-hò̤
• Tsetsêhestâhese: Móxêšéne
• čeština: máta
• Cymraeg: Mintys
• dansk: Mynte
• Deutsch: Minzen
• Ελληνικά: Μέντα
• English: Mint
• Esperanto: Mento
• español: Menta
• eesti: Münt
• euskara: Menda
• فارسی: نعنا
• suomi: Mintut
• français: Menthe
• Gaeilge: Mismín
• Gàidhlig: meannt, mionnt
• galego: Menta
• Avañe'ẽ: Menta
• עברית: נענע
• hrvatski: Metvica
• hornjoserbsce: Mjetlička
• Kreyòl ayisyen: Mant
• magyar: Menta
• հայերեն: Անանուխ
• Ido: Minto
• íslenska: Myntur, Minta
• italiano: Menta
• 日本語: ミント
• ქართული: პიტნა
• қазақша: Жалбыз
• 한국어: 멘타
• kurdî: Pûjan
• кыргызча: Жалбыз
• lietuvių: Mėta
• latviešu: Mētras
• македонски: Нане
• മലയാളം: കർപ്പൂരതുളസി
• кырык мары: Пӹтньӹк
• မြန်မာဘာသာ: ပူဒီနာ
• Nāhuatl: Caxtillān epazōtl
• Napulitano: Amenta
• Nederlands: Munt
• norsk: Mynte, Mynteslekta
• ирон: Битъына
• ਪੰਜਾਬੀ: ਪੁਦੀਨਾ
• polski: Mięta
• português: Hortelã
• română: Mentă
• русский: Мята
• srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Metvica
• සිංහල: මිංචි ගණය
• slovenčina: mäta
• slovenščina: Meta
• српски / srpski: Нана
• svenska: Myntor, Myntasläktet
• தமிழ்: புதினா
• తెలుగు: మెంథా
• тоҷикӣ: Пудина
• ไทย: มินต์ (พืช)
• Tagalog: Malipukon
• Türkçe: Nane
• українська: М'ята
• oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча: Yalpiz
• Tiếng Việt: Chi Bạc hà
• ייִדיש: מענטא
• Vahcuengh: Bozhoz
• 粵語: 薄荷屬
• 中文: 薄荷

For more multimedia, look at Mentha on Wikimedia Commons.