Minze

M. spicata binomial = Mentha spicata binomial_authority = L. (Carolus Linnaeus)

Mentha spicata (Spear Mint or Spearmint) is a species of mint (Mentha) native to much of Europe and southwest Asia, though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation.Citation neededreason=please give a reliable source for this assertion.date=October 2009 It grows in wet soils. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region where it was first sighted in 1843.

It is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial plant growing 30-100 cm tall, with variably hairless to hairy stems and foliage, and a wide-spreading fleshy underground rhizome. The leaves (leaf) are 5-9 cm long and 1.5-3 cm broad, with a serrated margin. Spearmint produces flowers in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5-3 mm long and broad.

Hybrid (Hybrid (biology))s involving spearmint include Mentha � piperita (Peppermint; hybrid with Mentha aquatica), Mentha � gracilis (Ginger Mint, syn. M. cardiaca; hybrid with Mentha arvensis), and Mentha � villosa (Large Apple Mint, hybrid with Mentha suaveolens).

The name spear mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.