Types and varieties of mint

There are many types of mint, but many of them are not used by people. If we talk about varietal diversity, then there are about 300 species. Only thirty of them have become widespread.

Different types of mint differ in characteristics; for each individual case, you must choose your own option.

One of the features of this plant is the silvery color of the leaves. This variety owes such a shade to the dense pubescence on the stems and foliage. Bloom appears in July-August.

You can meet long-leaved mint near water bodies. The height of the bushes can vary, as a rule, from 30 cm to one meter. This variety is actively used in the following areas:

• cosmetology;
• medicine;
• everyday life.

Curly, or curly, mint, if we consider its characteristic properties, is very similar to peppermint. This plant has a huge content not only of vitamins useful for humans, but also of various kinds of elements.

The variety in question has many names: spring, spike-shaped, German. Shrubs are rarely more than a meter in height, always very spreading, with a large number of stems. It got its name from the wrinkled leaves. The color of this variety of lilac shade pleases the eye for several months. To propagate the plant, you can collect seeds in October or divide the bushes and plant them.

Today there are a huge number of species of mint, it is not easy to describe them all, since only some of the varieties are used by humans. There are plants with a red stem, green, while the color may differ in shade. Different varieties are used in perfumery, medicine, the best are used in cooking. Spike mint, for example, is very beneficial for health, pineapple and ginger mint will surprise you with an unusual taste.

The popularity of this variety is due to its strong aroma. You can grow pineapple mint with equal success both on the site and in a pot. The bushes grow small, only half a meter in height. There is pubescence on the shoots, and a white border along the edges of the leaves.

This variety is very pleasant to the taste, therefore it is widely used in cooking for preparing not only drinks, but also salads.

This variety is also known under a different name - Rekena. The plant is a groundcover, with a strong aroma, forming a thick carpet on the ground. There is always a lot of foliage on the stems. Corsican mint is resistant to trampling, so it is often used for decorative purposes in landscaping.

The presented species is distinguished by a powerful horizontal root system. This plant can reach a height of one meter.

Caramel mint has carved leaves and blooms with light purple flowers. This period stretches from June to November. One of the advantages of this variety is a pungent aroma. It is used mainly in medicine in collections and on its own, it is a good sedative.

It is the strongest aphrodisiac that has a positive effect on the sex drive of both men and women. They are used very carefully, since the plant often causes allergies. Overdose threatens with nausea and vomiting.

This variety of mint can be found in a meadow or in a river bed, distributed throughout Asia and Siberia. The plant can reach a height of 40 to 100 cm, its shoots contain a fragrant essential oil, thanks to which Asian mint is widely used in cooking, especially popular in Turkmenistan.

Blooms in June.

It is not difficult to guess where this plant has such a name. Of all the mint varieties, this one has a particularly mild flavor with hints of chocolate. It's a nice addition to a drink or pastry.

Plants reach only half a meter, the leaves have a distinctive feature - a purple hue, like flowers. The essential oil is found in any part of the chocolate mint, but it is best to harvest the leaves during the flowering period.

This variety is no less actively used in the decoration of flower beds and gardens. You can reproduce in several ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• shoots.

One of the varieties of peppermint. Strong aroma and high content of menthol in foliage are the main distinguishing features of this variety.

Bushes grow short, rarely they are more than 600 mm. Menthol mint has dark stems and ripens quickly outdoors and is great for making drinks.

You can meet this wild mint in nature at the following locations:

• swamp;
• River bank;
• in the forest;
• on the lake.

Since she is accustomed to growing in the wild, she is easily domesticated and gets used to any conditions.

The high content of essential oil in the shoots and foliage has made this plant very popular in medicine. You can also use field mint as a spice.

This variety of mint got this name due to the fact that it attracts these animals. It has a lemon scent and catnip is especially attractive to bees. You can meet shrubs of the described plant not only in the forest, but also on a vacant lot and even on the side of a country road.

In a larger ratio, water mint can be found in the Caucasus. Its shoots are usually up to 60 cm, flowers are pink with a slight shade of purple. Water mint has found wide application in medicine, and can also be used in the preparation of various dishes.

This mint is also called round-leaved, it is grown in large volumes, since it is actively used in cooking, folk medicine and other fields. Has a refreshing scent. She has many hybrids and varieties, including:

• pineapple;
• apple;
• pinedo;
• help.

The plant stands out among others for its increased frost resistance. The well-known mojito drink is prepared using this particular plant. Moroccan mint has many beneficial properties, it helps with high blood pressure and when a person has problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

To get this mint on your site, it is propagated by seeds and roots, it is not whimsical and does not require special care. You can plant several bushes at once, or you can plant it alone. Not a bad option for decorating an alpine slide.

This plant belongs to the wild, therefore it has strong stems, powerful roots. The foliage has a shade darker on top, and it is light green below. The flowers may be slightly different, they are pink or light purple.

Mint is a useful medicinal plant, but it is also a good spice for meat or vegetables.

Garden mint is used more often for decorative purposes, since it has a weak aroma. You can find her not only in the summer cottage, but also in nature, where she chooses places for growth near the water or a clearing in the forest.

Despite the fact that garden mint is a perennial plant, its shoots only live for a year. With the onset of spring, new ones appear, since the old ones die off with the arrival of cold weather.

Bushes of this variety grow a meter wide, but they are rarely more than 450 mm high. In June, garden mint blooms and pleases with a purple carpet all summer.

This mint variety owes such an unusual name to the huge content in the shoots, foliage, flowers of essential oils. There are so many of them in the plant that it is able to scare away not only insects, but even cats. The stems spread along the ground, grow up to 800 mm, but the bushes are no more than 300 mm high. If you stand next to the ombalo, it is difficult not to feel a pleasant, light aroma.

This spice begins to bloom in early summer and ends only with the onset of the first frost.

Despite the fact that this variety has a lot of useful properties, it cannot be consumed in uncontrolled quantities, since problems with the liver may arise.

You can find this plant on the marshy soils of the Japanese provinces. The bushes of this mint have wide foliage, the stem is up to 300 mm, the flowers are white or can be light purple. Japanese mint is used in cosmetology and other industries.

It is one of the few varieties with white flowers. Summer residents know the described variety under other names, for example, shanta, bylitsa.

After planting, this plant will develop in the ground for more than one year. Of the distinctive features, one can single out flowers that are in the axils of greenery and a stem with a large number of hairs.

You can meet horse mint in China, Central Asia and even Africa.

This mint is best known all over the world, as it is used in cosmetology, cooking, and medicine. The variety has excellent taste and amazing aroma, therefore, summer residents most often grow it on the plots.

If you add peppermint teas to your diet, you can get a drink rich in vitamins, a good sedative, however, like any medicine, there are contraindications.

Another variety that came to us from Mexico. An annual plant, it needs fertile soil for growth. Flowering appears already in the first year after planting. Flowers can be white or blue, pink and even purple.

Melissa, or honey, is another name for this variety of mint. It is actively used in perfumery. Among other varieties, this one is one of the most useful for humans. Blooms in summer, reaches 1.2 meters in height, has good frost resistance.

The plant is unpretentious, it does not require special care, it can grow on any type of soil, does not require feeding.

This shrub does not grow in width, it has straight stems, elongated leaves with pointed ends. The flowers are rather small, forming at the top of the stems. Wild mint is easy to obtain seeds for propagation.

Central Asia is considered the homeland of this variety, but it grows in deciduous forests around the world.

It is a hybrid from peppermint that came to us from Europe. It has a pleasant sweetness and tastes like a cross between bergamot, lavender and mint. The essential oils extracted from this plant are widely used in medicine.

If we talk about the distinctive features of this variety of mint, then one cannot but mention the long flowering. Mountain mint is recognized as an excellent honey plant, which is why beekeepers love it so much. You can also use a shrub to decorate flower beds on the site. During the flowering period, mountain mint shows bright purple flowers.

The culture belongs to the undersized, there are rarely bushes more than 400 mm in height.The foliage has a lavender color, flowers appear in April. In spring it is one of the main honey plants for bees.

In medicine, dog mint infusions are often found, which have a positive tonic property for humans.

From the outside, the mint in question can be confused with nettle. It is a perennial plant, up to 1.2 meters high with white or lilac flowers. Decoctions from this variety of mint are able to stimulate the human immune system.

For the growth of this perennial shrub, it is worth choosing a well-lit place with fertile loose soil. The shoots are erect, the maximum height is 60 cm. Small notches can be seen on the foliage along the edges. A drink of the same name is prepared with this mint; it is suitable as a decoration for already prepared salads and hot dishes.

The plant is classified as a medicinal plant, lives only a year, but is absolutely unpretentious to environmental conditions. Shoots are branched and reach 800 mm in length. The flowers are spike-shaped, lilac in color. It is a great addition to tea as Israeli mint has its own unique flavor.

In folk medicine in Russia, several varieties of mint are used. Among them are marsh and pepper, fragrant and long-leaved are no less popular.

There are varieties and hybrids that are great for cooking as a spice. Mint is loved in different cuisines of the world, it is very actively used in Georgia and Armenia. Field and Israeli varieties in this case are in first place in demand, pepper and field varieties are not lagging behind them.

For the preparation of tea and other drinks, certain varieties of this plant are used: pepper, lemon, which give an amazing aroma. This tea has several positive qualities:

• refreshes;
• tones up;
• heals.

For landscape design, it is better to choose ground cover hybrids, since they have unique decorative properties. For growing outdoors, menthol, feline, dog and other varieties are usually chosen.