Peppermint

Botanical Name: Mentha x piperita.

Family Name: LAMIACEAE or LABIATAE

All true mints belong to the genus Mentha. Peppermint is a hybrid plant, a cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata). 

Common Names: Peppermint, mint, menthol

Habitat: Peppermint is found growing wild in the moist soils of the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, and America. It was cultivated in Europe but also in America, where it has become a vital crop over the last one hundred years. Peppermint is a perennial shrub which grows best in very moist soils with high water-holding capacity. While the plant has proved invaluable in medicine, for both topical and oral uses, it is also used widely in the perfume, soap and of course the food industries, becoming the most commercially important of the Mentha species. It has a fresh odor and a persistent cooling…