Taxon: Mentha ×piperita L.

Summary

Genus:

Mentha

Section:

Mentha

Family:

Lamiaceae (alt. Labiatae)

Subfamily:

Nepetoideae

Tribe:

Mentheae

Subtribe:

Menthinae

Nomen number:

24078

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:576. 1753

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358597

Hybrid parentage:

= Mentha aquatica × M. spicata

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

12/02/1993 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

58 (57 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Mentha ×piperita L. subsp. piperita
Mentha ×piperita L. var. piperita

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Mentha ×piperita L. nothosubsp. pyramidalis (Ten.) Harley
Mentha lavanduliodora ined.
Mentha pyramidalis Ten.

No images

Links

Seeds or fruits – Seed ID Workshop image, from Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1962. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 6:342-344.
Cronquist, A. et al. 1972-. Intermountain flora.
Darbyshire, S. J. 2003. Inventory of Canadian Agricultural Weeds Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 216.
Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 1553.
Fennane, M. et al., eds. 1999-. Flore pratique du Maroc.
Gobert, V. et al. 2006. Heterogeneity of three molecular data partition phylogenies of mints related to M. × piperita (Mentha; Lamiaceae). Pl. Biol. 8:470-485.
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Harley, R. M. & C. A. Brighton. 1977. Chromosome numbers in the genus Mentha L. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 74:71-96. Note: glabrous variants are used for commercial use; chromosome counts of wild, cultivated and synthesized individuals were 2n=72, and all sterile
Harley, R. M. 1975. Mentha L. In: Stace, C. A., ed., Hybridization and the flora of the British Isles. 387.
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
Kumar, P. et al. 2011. Insecticidal properties of Mentha species: A review. Industr. Crops Prod. 34:802-817. Note: recognized as a sterile hybrid, propagated by stolons; together with Mentha spicata are "the most common and popular mints"
Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Sell, P. & G. Murrell. 1996-. Flora of Great Britain and Ireland.
Small, E. 1997. Culinary herbs. Note: NRC Research Press, Ottawa
Tucker, A. O. & R. F. C. Naczi. 2007. Mentha: an overview of its classification and relationships. In: Lawrence, B. M., ed., Mint: the genus Mentha 31-32. Note: as a "extremely sterile", only clonally propagated
Tucker, A. O. et al. 1980. The Linnaean types of Mentha (Lamiaceae). Taxon 29:235.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
University of Texas Herbarium. 2000-. The mints of Texas (on-line resource)
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2018. Mid-Atlantic invasive plant species (on-line resource)

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	black peppermint		1	Tucker, A. O. & R. F. C. Naczi. 2007. Mentha: an overview of its classification and relationships. In: Lawrence, B. M., ed., Mint: the genus Mentha 31-32. Note: as a "extremely sterile", only clonally propagated
English	curly mint		1	Tucker, A. O. & R. F. C. Naczi. 2007. Mentha: an overview of its classification and relationships. In: Lawrence, B. M., ed., Mint: the genus Mentha 31-32. Note: as a "extremely sterile", only clonally propagated
English	hairy peppermint		1	Tucker, A. O. & R. F. C. Naczi. 2007. Mentha: an overview of its classification and relationships. In: Lawrence, B. M., ed., Mint: the genus Mentha 31-32. Note: as a "extremely sterile", only clonally propagated
English	peppermint		1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	white peppermint		1	Tucker, A. O. & R. F. C. Naczi. 2007. Mentha: an overview of its classification and relationships. In: Lawrence, B. M., ed., Mint: the genus Mentha 31-32. Note: as a "extremely sterile", only clonally propagated
English (Canada)	pepper mint	Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada official name	2	Darbyshire, S. J. 2003. Inventory of Canadian Agricultural Weeds Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 216.
French	menthe poivrée		2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French (Canada)	menthe poivrée	Agriculture & Agroalimentaire Canada nom officiel	2	Darbyshire, S. J. 2003. Inventory of Canadian Agricultural Weeds Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 216.
German	Pfefferminze		2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	weiße Minze		2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Portuguese	hortelã-pimenta		2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	menta piperita		2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedish	pepparmynta		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transliterated Russian	mjata perečnaja		2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
2	Cultivated	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia	Ciscaucasia		Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	China	China			Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Middle Asia	Kyrgyzstan			Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Middle Asia	Turkmenistan			Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1962. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 6:342-344.
2	Cultivated	Australasia	Australia	Australia			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Europe		Europe			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Europe	Eastern Europe	Russian Federation-European part	European part	s.	Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
2	Cultivated	Northern America		Canada			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Northern America		United States			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Southern South America	Chile			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
4	Naturalized	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Azores		Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Gorno-Altay		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Siberia	Russian Federation	Kemerovskaja oblast'		Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
4	Naturalized	Australasia	Australia	Australia		s.e.	Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
4	Naturalized	Australasia	New Zealand	New Zealand			Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Eastern Europe	Belarus			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Eastern Europe	Russian Federation-European part	European part	s.	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Eastern Europe	Ukraine			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Austria			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Belgium			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Czechoslovakia			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Germany			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Hungary			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Netherlands			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Poland			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Middle Europe	Switzerland			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Northern Europe	Denmark			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Northern Europe	Ireland			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Northern Europe	United Kingdom			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Bulgaria			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Former Yugoslavia			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Greece			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Italy		incl. Sicily	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southeastern Europe	Romania			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	France			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Portugal			Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain		incl. Baleares	Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4	Naturalized	Northern America		Canada			Small, E. 1997. Culinary herbs. Note: NRC Research Press, Ottawa
4	Naturalized	Northern America		United States			Cronquist, A. et al. 1972-. Intermountain flora.

Cultivated
Africa

NORTHERN AFRICA: Morocco
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola

Asia-Temperate

CAUCASUS: Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia [Ciscaucasia]
MIDDLE ASIA: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan
CHINA: China
EASTERN ASIA: Japan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia

Europe

EASTERN EUROPE: Russian Federation-European part [European part (s.)]
REGION: Europe

Northern America

REGION: Canada, United States

Southern America

BRAZIL: Brazil
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile

Naturalized
Africa

MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores]

Asia-Temperate

SIBERIA: Russian Federation [Gorno-Altay, Kemerovskaja oblast']

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia (s.e.)
NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Europe

NORTHERN EUROPE: Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland
MIDDLE EUROPE: Czechoslovakia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland
EASTERN EUROPE: Russian Federation-European part [European part (s.)], Belarus, Ukraine
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy (incl. Sicily), Romania
SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France, Portugal

Northern America

REGION: Canada, United States

Reference(s)

Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1962. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 6:342-344.
Cronquist, A. et al. 1972-. Intermountain flora.
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
Krasnoborov, I. M., ed. 2000-. Flora of Siberia (English translation)
Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Small, E. 1997. Culinary herbs. Note: NRC Research Press, Ottawa
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Food additives	flavoring	as flavor agent	Kumar, P. et al. 2011. Insecticidal properties of Mentha species: A review. Industr. Crops Prod. 34:802-817. Note: recognized as a sterile hybrid, propagated by stolons; together with Mentha spicata are "the most common and popular mints"
Human food	beverage base	for preparing an herbal tea	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Materials	essential oils	source of menthol and menthone for use in perfumery and as flavor agent	Kumar, P. et al. 2011. Insecticidal properties of Mentha species: A review. Industr. Crops Prod. 34:802-817. Note: recognized as a sterile hybrid, propagated by stolons; together with Mentha spicata are "the most common and popular mints"
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=24078. Accessed 15 April 2026.