by Charlotte Louise Nystrom

Created on: September 22, 2008   Last Updated: May 19, 2010

Walking along the fields and meadows of life we encounter a multitude of herbs. One species that brings a particular sense of delight are the mints. To me there are few things better than a nice cup of fresh mint tea. Though many mint species now inhabit the wild, you can also find quite a selection at your local supermarket. With all the different varieties of mints, one can easily become confused.

Two of the most prevalent mints are spearmint and peppermint. Most obviously, both are members of the mint genus. As members of the mint genus, they are very aromatic plants. Though spearmint and peppermint are closely related they belong to different species. This lineage allows for a great number of similarities and differences between them.

The Latin name for spearmint is mentha spicata while the Latin name of peppermint is mentha piperita. The terms spicata and piperita refer to the species in which these herbs belong. These plants contain a mixture of volatile oils, which provide the characteristic scent and taste we all recognize as distinctively minty. As their Latin, identification suggests the most prevalent volatile in both mints is called menthol. Menthol oil has both antibacterial and antiparasitic properties.

Long ago, spearmint and peppermint began their American adventure in cultivated gardens. Over the years, they have escaped and now occupy their own space in the wild. Mints prefer an environment, which is very moist. Spearmint and peppermint both have square shaped stems and opposing leaves. Both peppermint and spearmint are flower in the summer, however, peppermint blooms in early summer, while spearmint does not blossom until late summer.

The blossoms of both mints are pink to lavender in color and are made of four lobes. One fact, which allows us to distinguish between the two mints, is that the flowers of the spearmint plant grow only on a terminal cluster, which is tapered. The blossoms of peppermint grow on a terminal, which is whorled rather than tapered. The leaves of Peppermint can be described as sharply toothed while those of spearmint are oblong, and lanced. In addition, spearmint leaves are characteristically unbranched and stalk less. The leaves of both mints are dark green in color.

These wonderfully aromatic herbs are very widely used, both a culinary flavorings and as medicinal healers. Both peppermint and spearmint are very prevalent in teas, pharmaceuticals, flavorings, gums and candies. The flavorings are prepared by harvesting

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