View source for Mentha

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Lamiaceae
|genus=Mentha
|common_name=Mint
|habit=herbaceous
|Min ht metric=cm
|Max ht box=40
|Max ht metric=cm
|Max wd box=15
|Max wd metric=cm
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun, part-sun
|water=moist, moderate
|features=flowers, fragrance, edible
|Temp Metric=°F
|image=Mint-leaves-2007.jpg
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Mint leaves
}}
'''''Mentha''''' ('''mint''') is a [[genus]] of about 25 [[species]] (and many hundreds of [[Variety (botany)|varieties]]<ref name="OxfordCompanion">{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |authorlink=Alan_Davidson_%28food_writer%29 |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |year=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-211579-0 |pages=508}}</ref>) of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Lamiaceae]] (Mint Family). Species within Mentha have a wide distribution around the world due to its usefulness.  Several mint [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]s commonly occur.

Mints are aromatic, almost all [[perennial plant|perennial]], rarely [[annual plant|annual]], [[herb]]s. They have wide-spreading underground [[rhizome]]s (roots) and erect, branched stems. The [[leaf|leaves]] are arranged in opposite pairs, from simple [[leaf shape|oblong]]  to [[leaf shape|lanceolate]], often downy, and with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue and sometimes pale yellow.<ref name="azEncycloPlants"/> The [[flower]]s are produced in clusters ('verticils') on an erect spike, white to purple, the corolla two-lipped with four subequal lobes, the upper lobe usually the largest. The [[fruit]] is a small dry [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] containing one to four [[seed]]s. 

While the species that make up the Mentha genus are widely distributed and can be found in many environments, many grow best in wet environments and moist soils. Mints will grow 10&ndash;120&nbsp;cm tall and can spread over an indeterminate sized area. Due to the tendency to spread unchecked, mints are considered [[invasive plant|invasive]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Brickell |first=Christopher |authorlink=Christopher Brickell |coauthors=Trevor Cole |title=The American Horticultural Society: Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers |year=2002 |publisher=DK Publishing, Inc. |location=New York, NY, USA |isbn=0-7894-8993-7 |pages=605}}</ref>