Description
Mentha is a difficult genus, owing to morphological similarity, variability, and hybridization. Peppermint (Mentha X piperita) is a sterile, cultivated, artificial hybrid (Mentha spicata X Mentha aquatica) (Gleason 1963; Kartesz 1994; Mills et al. 1997).
Potentially Misidentified Species - Mentha arvensis is native. Mentha X gracilis (synonyms Mentha X cardiaca; Mentha X gentilis, Red Mint, Small-Leafed Mint) is a hybrid of Mentha arvensis (Field Mint) X Mentha spicata (Spearmint). Mentha spicata, and M. aquatica (Water Mint), are introduced.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Lamiales | Lamiaceae | Mentha |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1837 | Established | Stable | Introduced | Regular Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Ornamental(Garden Escape) |
History of Spread
Mentha X piperita (Peppermint) was probably created centuries ago as a cultivated hybrid (Gleason 1963), introduced early as a garden plant, and was widely naturalized by 1848 (Gray 1848). Probably, it escaped at many locations, but the first record which we have found so far was from Philadelphia (Barton 1818): 'Frequently found in fresh meadows near springs and rivulets, where they have been planted or found their way from gardens, but they are not properly naturalized'. Mentha X piperita is now widespread over North America (Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991), but missing in some mountain states (Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998).
Mentha X piperita is not mentioned in Brereton (1830) for Washington D.C., but is present in all later Washington-Baltimore floras (Aikin 1837; Potomac-Side Naturalists' Club 1876; Ward 1881; Sollers 1888; Hitchcock and Standley 1919). It is described as widespread or 'frequent throughout' MD in statewide floras (Shreve et al. 1910; Brown and Brown 1984; Tatnall 1946; Harvill et al. 1992). However, Sipple (1978) gives the only specific records for tidal marshes on the Potomac, Patuxent, and upper Bay. His maps show records on the upper Bay in Cecil County MD, on the Sassafras Riverand Furnace Bay, on the Potomac River in Charles County MD, and on the Patuxent River in Calvert County MD. This plant is also common in Dyke Marsh, Alexandria VA, on the Potomac River (Fofonoff, personal observation).
History References - Barton 1818; Brereton 1830; Brown and Brown 1984; Fernald 1950; Gleason 1963; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gray 1848; Harvill et al. 1992; Hitchcock and Standley 1919; Potomac-Side Naturalists' Club 1876; Shreve et al. 1910; Sipple 1978; Sollers 1888; Tatnall 1946; Ward 1881
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 1000.0 | 1000.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Mentha X piperia (Peppermint) has no reported ecological impacts in Chesapeake Bay proper. However, it is widely grown in gardens as a flavoring, though not on a commercial scale (Brown and Brown 1984).
References- Brown and Brown 1984
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Mentha X piperita (Peppermint) is widely grown as garden crop and occasionally as a commercial crop in the United States and elsewhere (Gleason 1963). Feral plants are occasionally agricultural weeds (Muenscher 1980), and were included on one regional list of exotic plant pests (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2002).
References: Gleason 1963; Muenscher 1980; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2002
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Mentha X piperita (Peppermint) appears to be loacally common in disturbed wet areas and tidal wetlands (Brown and Brown 1984; Harvill et al. 1992; Tatnall 1946). It is a potential competitor with native Mentha arvensis (Field Mint), but this, together with other impacts on native biota, has not been documented.
References - Brown and Brown 1984; Hitchcock and Standley 1919; Tatnall 1946
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Mentha X piperita (Peppermint) appears to be common in disturbed wet areas and tidal wetlands (Brown and Brown 1984; Harvill et al. 1992; Sipple 1978). Mentha X piperita is a potential competitor with the other exotic mints, such as M. aquatica, M. spicata and M. X gentilis, but this, together with other impacts on exotic biota, has not been documented.
References - Brown and Brown 1984; Hitchcock and Standley 1919; Sipple 1978; Tatnall 1946
References
Aikin, W. E. A. (1837) Catalogue of phenogamous plants and ferns, native or naturalized, growing in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland., Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences and Literature 1: 55-91Barton, W. C. (1818) Compendium florae Philadelphicae, In: (Eds.) . , Philadelphia. Pp.
Brereton, J. A. (1830) Prodromus of the Flora Columbiana, , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1848) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , Boston. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Hitchcock, A. S.; Standley, P. C. (1919) Flora of the District of Columbia and Vicinity., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D. C.. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Mills, Edward L.; Scheuerell, Mark D.; Carlton, James T.; Strayer, David (1997) Biological invasions in the Hudson River: an inventory and historical analysis., New York State Museum Circular 57: 1-51
Muenscher, Walter C. (1980) Weeds., In: (Eds.) . , Ithaca, NY. Pp.
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Shreve, Forrest M.; Chrysler, M. A.; Blodgett, Frederck H.; Besley, F. W. (1910) The Plant Life of Maryland, , Baltmore. Pp.
Sipple, William S. (1978) An atlas of vascular plant distribution species for tidewater Maryland, , Annapolis, Maryland. Pp.
Sollers, Basil (1888) Check list of plants compiled for the vicinity of Baltimore., , Baltimore. Pp.
Tatnall, Robert R. (1946) Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore, , Wilmington. Pp.
Ward, L. F. (1881) Guide to the flora of Washington and Vicinity, United States National Museum Bulletin 22: 1-264