前言部份
Mentha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.
“Mint” redirects here. For other uses, see Mint (disambiguation).
Mentha
Mentha longifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Mentha
L.
Species
See text
Mentha (mint) is a genus of about 25 species (and many hundreds of varieties[1]) of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Species within Mentha have a subcosmopolitan distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia,[2] Australia, and North America. Several mint hybrids commonly occur.
Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herbs. They have wide-spreading underground rhizomes and erect, branched stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from simple oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue and sometimes pale yellow.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Species
2 Selected hybrids
3 Cultivation
4Uses
4.1 Culinary
4.2 Medicinal and cosmetic
4.3 Pragmatic
5 Diseases
6 Origin and Usage of the Word Mint
6.1 Slang
7 References
8 External Links
[edit] Species
This covers a selection of what are considered to be pure species of mints. As with all classifications of plants, this list can go out of date at a moments notice. Listed here are accepted species names and common names (where available). Synonyms, along with cultivars and varieties where available, are listed under the species.
Mentha aquatica – Water mint, or Marsh mint
mentha arvensis – Corn Mint, Wild Mint, Japanese Peppermint, Field Mint
Mentha asiatica - Asian Mint
Mentha australis - Australian mint
Mentha canadensis
Mentha cervina - Hart's pennyroyal
Mentha citrata – bergamot mint
Mentha crispata - Wrinkled-leaf mint
Mentha cunninghamia
Mentha dahurica - Dahurian Thyme
Mentha diemenica - Slender mint
Mentha gattefossei
Mentha grandiflora
Mentha haplocalyx
Mentha japonica
Mentha kopetdaghensis
Mentha laxiflora - Forest mint
Mentha longifolia - Horse Mint
Mentha pulegium – Pennyroyal
Mentha requienii – Corsican mint
Mentha sachalinensis - Garden mint
Mentha satureioides - Native Pennyroyal
Mentha spicata – spearmint, Curly mint
Mentha suaveolens – Apple mint, Pineapple mint (a variegated cultivar of Apple mint)
Mentha vagans - Grey mint
[edit] Selected hybrids
The mint family has a large grouping of recognized hybrids. As with all classifications of plants, this list can go out of date at a moments notice. Synonyms, along with cultivars and varieties where available, are included within the specific species.
Mentha × gracilis - Ginger Mint
Mentha × piperita – Peppermint
Mentha × rotundifolia (M. longifolia × M. suaveolens) - False Apple-mint
Mentha × smithiana (M. aquatica × M. arvensis × M. spicata) - Red Raripila Mint
Mentha × villosa (M. spicata × M. suaveolens; syn. M. cordifolia) - Apple-mint
Mentha × villosonervata (M. longifolia × M. spicata) - Sharp-toothed Mint
[edit] Cultivation
Mentha x gracilis and M. rotundifolia. The steel ring is to control the spread of the plant.All mints prefer, and thrive, in cool, moist spots in partial shade[3]. In general, mints tolerate a wide range of conditions, and can also be grown in full sun.
They are fast growing, extending their reach along surfaces through a network of runners. Due to their speedy growth, one plant of each desired mint, along with a little care, will provide more than enough mint for home use. Some mint species are more invasive than others. Even with the less invasive mints, care should be taken when mixing any mint with any other plants, lest the mint takes over. To control mints in an open environment, plant mints in deep, bottomless containers sunk in the ground, or plant above ground in tubs and barrels[3].
Some mints can be propagated by seed. Growth from seed can be an unreliable method for raising mint for two reasons: mint seeds are highly variable, you might not end up with what you think you planted[3]; some mint varieties are sterile. It is more effective to take and plant cuttings from the runners of healthy mints.
The most common and popular mints for cultivation are peppermint (Mentha × piperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and (more recently) pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens).
Mints tend to make good companion plants, repelling pest insects and attracting beneficial ones. The common mints, like spearmint and peppermint, are considered good to grow among tomato and pepper plants, where they enhance flavor, repel aphids, attract parasitic wasps to eat caterpillars, provide "living mulch" ground cover, et cetera.[citation needed]
Chamomile is thought to make a good companion plant for mint. Chamomile is thought to increase essential oil in mints, making them "stronger" in scent and flavor.[citation needed]
Harvesting of mint leaves can be done at anytime. Use fresh mint leaves immediately, or store up to a couple of days in plastic bags within a refrigerator. Optionally, freeze mint in ice cube trays. Dried mint leaves should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place.[4]
[edit] Uses
[edit] Culinary
Mint Leaves
Chocolate Mint (also known as Peppermint)The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem.[4] The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, and ice creams. In Mid-Eastern cuisines, mint is used on lamb dishes. [5] In British cuisine, mint sauce is popular with lamb.
Mint is a necessary ingredient in Touareg tea, a popular tea in northern Africa and Arabian countries.
Alcoholic drinks sometimes feature flavor of mint, name the Mint julep and the Mojito.
Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in, breath fresheners, drinks, antiseptic mouth rinses, toothpaste, chewing gum and desserts/candies; see mint (candy) and mint chocolate. The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are:
menthol: the main aroma of Spearmint, Peppermint, and Japanese Peppermint (a major commercial source).
pulegone: in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint.
Methyl salicylate, commonly called "oil of wintergreen", is often used as a mint flavoring for foods and candies due to its mint like flavor.
Mints are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Buff ermine.
[edit] Medicinal and cosmetic
Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains. During the middle ages, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth. Mint tea is a strong diuretic. Mint also aids digestion.
Menthol from mint essential oil (40-90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also much used in medicine as a component of many drugs, and are very popular in aromatherapy.
A common use is as an antipruritic, especially in insect bite treatments (often along with camphor).
It is also used in cigarettes as an additive, because it blocks out the bitter taste of tobacco and soothes the throat.[citation needed]
Many people also believe the strong, sharp flavor and scent of Mint can be used as a mild decongestant for illnesses such as the common cold.
In Rome, Pliny recommended that a wreath of mint was a good thing for students to wear since it was thought to 'exhilarate their minds'. Some modern research suggests that he was right.[1]
[edit] Pragmatic
Mint leaves are often used by many campers to repel mosquitoes. It is also said that extracts from mint leaves have a particular mosquito killing capability.
Mint oil is also being used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests like wasps, hornets, ants and cockroaches.
[edit] Diseases
Main article: List of mint diseases
[edit] Origin and Usage of the Word Mint
Mint descends from the Latin word mentha, which descends from the Greek word Minthe. Minthe has ties back to a woman of the same name in Greek Mythology. [6]
Mint leaves, without a qualifier like peppermint or apple mint, generally refers to spearmint leaves.
In Central and South America, mint is known as yerbabuena (literally, "good herb"). In the Hindi and Urdu languages it is called Pudeena.
The taxonomic family Lamiaceae is known as the mint family. It includes many other aromatic herbs, including most of the more common cooking herbs, including basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, and catnip.
As an English colloquial term, mint stands for any small sugar confectionery item flavored to taste like the aforementioned plant.[1]
In common usage, several other plants with fragrant leaves may be erroneously called a mint. Vietnamese Mint, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, is not a member of the mint family (taxonomic family Lamiaceae).
[edit] Slang
In the south west of the United Kingdom, used adjectivally, the word can be used as a term of approbation or to express delight, as in "tha's mint tha' is..."
[edit] References
^ a b c Davidson, Alan (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 508. ISBN 0-19-211579-0.
^ a b Brickell, Christopher; Judith D. Zuk (1997). The American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. New York, NY, USA: DK Publishing, Inc., 668. ISBN 0-7894-1943-2.
^ a b c Bradley, Fern (1992). Rodale's All-new Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Emmaus, Pennsylvania, USA: Rodale Press, 390. ISBN 0-87857-999-0.
^ a b Ortiz, Elisabeth (1992). The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices & Flavorings. London: Dorling Kindersley, 36-37. ISBN 1-56458-065-2.
^ http://www.mccormick.com/content.cfm?id=10076 McCormick's EnSpicelopedia
^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (1947-). CRC World dictionary of plant names: Common names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Sonyonyms, and Etymology. CRC Press, 1658.
[edit] External Links
Mentha/Mentha oil as a commodity traded in India
Peppermint and Spearmint
'Mint' Pain Killer Takes Leaf Out Of Ancient Medical Texts
Germplasm Resources Information Network: Mentha
Flora Europaea: Mentha
Flora of China: Mentha
Medicinal use of mint in Armenia
United States Department of Agriculture (Online Reference)
Botanical.com entry on Mint
Plants For a Future: Mentha genus search page
結尾部份
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha"
Categories: Articles to be expanded since January 2007 | All articles to be expanded | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since June 2007 | Lamiaceae | Herbs | Medicinal plants
