**Mentha spicata L. (Lamiaceae)**

**Spearmint**

**Description**. Rhizomatous perennials, strongly aromatic; stems 30-120
cm tall, ascending to erect, glabrous to glandular. Leaves opposite,
sessile to short-petiolate, the petioles 1-3 mm long, the blades 3-9 cm
long, 0.7-3 cm wide, elliptic to broadly lanceolate or narrowly ovate,
glabrous to hirsute on the veins below, margins sharply serrate, apices
acute to acuminate, the bases rounded to subcordate. Inflorescences
terminal, 3-12 cm long, simple to branched, slender and spike-like,
composed of dense clusters subtended by bracts, the bracts 3-7 mm long,
narrowly lanceolate to linear. Calyx radial, 1-3 mm long, tube
glandular, the lobes triangular, ciliate; corolla somewhat radial, the 5
lobes subequal to equal, 2-4 mm long, white to pale lavender; stamens 4,
equal; ovary superior, 4 lobed, the style slightly exserted. Fruit
breaking into 4 nutlets. In California, flowering from June to October
(Brooks 1986, Clapham et al. 1962, Cronquist and Reveal 1984, Abrams
1944, Gleason and Cronquist 1991, Wilken 1993, Munz 1959).

**Geographic distribution**. A native of Europe, spearmint has become
naturalized throughout much of warm-temperate North America (uncommon in
central North America), Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa, and
Hawaii. (Arnold and de Wet 1993, Brooks 1993, Chapman 1991, Munz 1959,
Wagner et al. 1990, Webb et al. 1988).

Spearmint had become widely naturalized (but only locally distributed)
in California by the end of the 19th century (Robbins 1940). It has been
reported from Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz islands (Junak et al. 1997)
and is widely scattered throughout California (Anonymous 1998, Wilken
1993).

**Reproductive and vegetative biology**: Related species and other
Lamiaceae with small, protandrous flowers are generally pollinated by
small beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera). (Faegri and van der Pijl
1966, Proctor et al. 1996). No other literature pertinent to its
reproductive or vegetative biology was found.

**Ecological distribution**. Spearmint usually occurs in wet sites of
ditchbanks and streamsides (Brooks 1986, Clapham et al. 1962, Cronquist
and Reveal 1984, Munz 1959).

**Weed status.** *Mentha spicata* is not considered a noxious weed in
agricultural or horticultural practice, at least at a global level (not
listed by Holm et al. 1977), nor is it considered a noxious weed by the
State Dept. of Food and Agriculture (Anonymous 1996). It is not listed
for the United States in Lorenzi and Jeffery (1987).

**Microbial pathogens**. *Mentha spicata* appears to be resistant to
several fungal pathogens, including *Corynespora* and *Fusarium* (Shukla
and Singh 1997, Singh et al. 1994), but excluding *Puccinia menthae*
(Johnson 1995, Larous and Losel 1993, Venkatramesh 1989). Resistance to
some pathogenic fungi and other forms of anti-microbial activity appears
related to presence of certain essential oils (Mueller-Riebau et al.
1995, Sivropoulou et al. 1995).

**Insect pathogens**. Nematodes (*Meloidogyne*) are principal pathogens
of cultivated spearmint (Shukla and Haseeb 1996), but variation in
resistance has been reported by Walker (1996) and Walker and Melin
(1995).

**Herbicide control**. No literature specific to spearmint was found.
The related species, *Mentha piperita* (peppermint) has been controlled
by a combination of herbicides, including atrazine, bromacil, simazine,
or tebuthiuron; spot treatment has been achieved by mixtures of 2,4-D
and dicamba (Lorenzi and Jeffery 1987). Stanger (1987) evaluated
tolerance of spearmint to several herbicides in the control of other
weeds in Oregon spearmint crop fields.

**Literature Cited**

Abrams, L. (ed.) Illustrated flora of the Pacific states. Volume 3.
Geraniaceae to Scrophulariaceae. Stanford University Press, Stanford,
California. 866 pp.

Anonymous. 1996. Exotic pest plants of greatest ecological concern in
California as of August 1996. California Exotic Pest Plant Council. 8
pp.

Anonymous. 1998. California county flora database version 2, Santa
Barbara Botanic Garden and USDA National Plants Data Center, Santa
Barbara and New Orleans. URL = plants.usda.gov

Arnold, T. and B. de Wet. 1993. Memoir 62. Plants of southern Africa:
names and distribution. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. 825 pp.

Brooks, R. 1986. Lamiaceae. pp. 708-740. In Great Plains Flora
Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. University of Kansas,
Lawrence. 1392 pp.

Chapman, A. 1991. Australian plant name index. K-P. Australian
Government Publishing Service, Canberra. pp. 1711-2495.

Clapham, A., T. Tutin, and E. Warburg. 1962. Flora of the British Isles.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1269 pp.

Cronquist, A. and J. Reveal. 1984. Lamiaceae. pp. 298-330. In Cronquist
et al. Intermountain flora. Volume 4. Subclass Asteridae. New York
Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 573 pp.

Faegri, K. and L. Van der 1966. The principles of pollination ecology.
Pergamon Press, Oxford. 248 pp.

Gleason, H. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of
northeastern United States and adjacent Canda. 2nd. edition. New York
Botanical Garden, Bronz. 910 pp.

Holm, L., D. Plucknett, J. Pancho, and J. Herberger. 1977. The world's
worst weeds: distribution and ecology. University Press of Hawaii,
Honolulu. 609 pp.

Johnson, D. 1995. Races of *Puccinia menthae* in the Pacific Northwest
and Interaction of Latent Period of Mints Infected with Rust Races.
Plant Disease. 79: 20-24.

Junak, S., S. Chaney, R. Philbrick, and R. Clark. 1997. A checklist of
vascular plants of Channel Islands National Park. Southwest Parks and
Monuments Association, Tucson, AZ. 43 pp.

Larous, L. and D. Losel. 1993. Vascular infection by *Puccinia menthae*
and other rust fungi. Mycological Research. 97: 409-414.

Lorenzi, H. and L. Jeffery. 1987. Weeds of the United States and their
control. Van Nostrand Company, New York. 355 pp.

Mueller-Riebau, F., B. Berger, and O. Yegen. 1995. Chemical composition
and fungitoxic properties to phytopathogenic fungi of essential oils of
selected aromatic plant growing wild in Turkey. Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry. 43: 2262-2266.

Munz, P. 1959. A flora of California. University of California Press,
Berkeley.

Proctor, M., P. Yeo, and A. Lack. 1996. The Natural history of
pollination. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 479 pp.

Robbins, W. 1940. Alien plants growing without cultivation in
California. Agricultural Experiment Station. Bulletin 637. University of
California, Berkeley. 128 pp.

Shukla, P. and A. Haseeb. 1996. Effectiveness of some nematicides and
oil cakes in the management of *Pratylenchus thornei* on *Mentha
citrata*, *M. piperita* and *M. spicata*. Bioresource Technology. 57:
307-310.

Shukla, R. and K. Singh. 1997. Isolation, partial purification and
phytotoxic activity of a toxin produced by *Corynespora cassiicola*, a
strain from *Mentha arvensis*. Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant
Sciences. 19: 682-687.

Singh, J., A. Dubey, and N. Tripathi. 1994. Antifungal activity of
*Mentha spicata*. International Journal of Pharmacognosy. 32: 314-319.

Sivropoulou, A., S. Kokkini, T. Lanaras, and M. Arsenakis. 1995.
Antimicrobial activity of mint essential oils. Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry. 43: 2384-2388.

Stanger, C 1987. An evaluation of herbicide treatments for weed control
and crop tolerance in spearment and peppermint. Special Report, Oregon
State University, Agricultural Experiment Station. 814: 63-73.

Venkatramesh, M. 1989. Influence of diniconazole on growth and essential
oil content of sage and spearmint. Pesticide Biochemistry and
Physiology. 34: 32-38.

Wagner, W., D. Herbst, and S. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the flowering
plants of Hawaii. 1853 pp.

Walker, J. 1996. *Mentha* X *piperita*, *Mentha spicata* and effects of
their essential oils on *Meloidogyne* in soil. Journal of Nematology.
28: 629-635.

Webb, C., W. Sykes, and P. Garnock-Jones. 1988. Flora of New Zealand.
Volume 4. Naturalized pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons.
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Walker, J. and J. Melin. 1995. Resistance of *Mentha* X *piperita* and
*Mentha spicata* lines to root-knot nematodes. Journal of Nematology.
27: 523-524.

Wilken, D. 1993. *Mentha*. p. 716. In J. Hickman (ed.) The Jepson
Manual: higher vascular plants of California. University of California
Press, Berkeley. 1400 pp.