Commonly known as peppermint, see Agonis flexuosa . For the Linux operating system, see Peppermint OS.
	Scientific classification Kingdom : Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Mentha Binomial name: Mentha × piperita
Peppermint

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita, also known as M. balsamea Willd.is a hybrid mint , a cross between the watermint (Mentha aquatica ) and spearmint (Mentha spicata The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world. It is found wild occasionally with its parent species.

Peppermint flowers :

Peppermint was first described in 1753 by Carolus Linnaeus from specimens that had been collected in England; he treated it as a species , but it is now universally agreed to be a hybrid. It is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial plant growing to 30–90 cm (12–35 in) tall, with smooth stems, square in cross section. The rhizomes are wide-spreading, fleshy, and bare fibrous roots . The leaves are from 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) long and 1.5–4 cm (0.59–1.6 in) cm broad, dark green with reddish veins, and with an acute apex and coarsely toothed margins. The leaves and stems are usually slightly hairy. The flowers are purple, 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long, with a four-lobed corolla about 5 mm (0.20 in) diameter; they are produced in whorls (verticillasters) around the stem, forming thick, blunt spikes. Flowering is from mid to late summer. The chromosome number is variable, with 2n counts of 66, 72, 84, and 120 recorded.

Ecology :

Peppermint typically occurs in moist habitats, including stream sides and drainage ditches. Being a hybrid, it is usually sterile , producing no seeds and reproducing only vegetatively , spreading by its rhizomes . If placed, it can grow anywhere, with a few exceptions. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region, noted since 1843

Neuroscience :

The aroma of peppermint has been found to enhance memory . As such, it can be administered by instructors to their students before examinations, to aid recall..

Uses :

    »    Peppermint has a long tradition of medicinal use, with archaeological evidence placing its use at least as far back as ten thousand years ago.[citation needed]

    »    Peppermint has a high menthol content, and is often used as tea and for flavouring ice cream , confectionery , chewing gum , and toothpaste . The oil also contains menthone and menthyl esters, particularly menthyl acetate Dried peppermint typically has 0.3-0.4% of volatile oil containing menthol (29-48%), menthone (20-31%), menthyl acetate (3-10%), menthofuran (1-7%) and many trace consituents including limonene , pulegone , eucalyptol , and pinene . It is the oldest and most popular flavour of mint-flavoured confectionery. Peppermint can also be found in some shampoos and soaps, which give the hair a minty scent and produce a cooling sensation on the skin. Used in this way, it has been known to help with insomnia.