Mentha Flowers
Name : Mentha Flowers
Latin Name : Genus: Mentha, (Mentha spicata)
Mentha Description
Mentha is a genus comprising of about 25 species and countless varieties of flowering plants in the Mint Family, Lamiaceae. Commonly known as Mint, the genus has a sub-cosmopolitan distribution and is found across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. The common name Mint comes from the Latin word mentha, which happens to be the scientific name for this genus. Mentha is derived from the Greek word minthe, a nymph in Greek mythology.
Mentha or Mints are aromatic perennial herbs with wide-spreading underground rhizomes and erect, square, branched stems. Mint leaves range in colour from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow. Mint flowers are produced in clusters or verticils on an erect spike, and are available in white or various shades of purple.
Mint varieties thrive in wet environments and moist soils in partial shade or full sun. They are fast growing plants, fairly easy to handle and tolerate a wide range of conditions. Mints will grow to a height between 10cm to 120 cm depending on the variety. The mint varieties generally bloom from Late Spring and stay till Mid Summer. Mints can be propagated by dividing the rootball, rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets) or from softwood cuttings or seeds.
Three most popular mints varieties in cultivation are Peppermint (Mentha × piperita), Spearmint (Mentha spicata), and Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). Other varieties include Curly Mint, Pennyroyal, Pineapple Mint and Water or Bog Mint.
Mint varieties look great in the garden, adding a splash of green and an aura of freshness to their surroundings. The variety Pennyroyal is often used in hanging baskets and flowerboxes for fragrance and beauty. All mentha varieties are good as cut flowers and foliage for indoor arrangements. Mints are also used in potpourri where they add not only fragrance but colour as well. Mentha suaveolens or Apple Mint is popular for its culinary uses as well as an Ornamental plant. Apple mint attracts bees, butterflies and birds thus further beautifying your garden. Apple mint is an attractive yet hardy herb with fragrant flowers and is fairly easy to grow. Corsican Mint, Mentha requienii is a creeping perennial that attains a height of only half an inch and is a perfect ground cover with tiny, light purple flowers on small, round and bright green leaves.
Mentha Meaning
The Mints have come to symbolize the meanings Warm Feelings, Cure, Relief, Love, Passion and Humble Virtue. It can be used to convey the message Find Someone Your Own Age; You Are Overreacting to a Small Thing.
Mentha also indicates a snug comfortable state.
During the Elizabethan era in England, tussie mussies were frequently exchanged between lovers and they usually included the Mints (Mentha spp.) along with other flower varieties like Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Marjoram (Origanum marjorana), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). With the passage of time, Tussie mussies became a secret code between lovers and different flowers began to carry different meanings, depending on the combination of the flowers used.
In the past, Mint has been regarded as a symbol of Hospitality; ancient Romans strewed it around at feasts and banquets as a sign of welcome to guests.
Mentha Mythology
The genus name Mentha comes from Greek Mythology. Legend has it that Menthe was a nymph who loved Pluto; when Pluto’s wife Persephone discovered this she turned the nymph into a mint plant.
It is also believed that the Ancients scoured their tables with this herb when preparing for the gods. Furthermore, the gods had fields of mint that bees used to make honey.
According to an ancient legend, Demeter drank a special drink called cecyon (kekyon) at Eleusis. This sacred drink of the Eleusine Mysteries was made by blending wheaten gruel with mint. Female initiates carried vessels of cecyon bound to their heads. The Greeks also believed that mint increased love-making. Moreover, mint, rosemary and myrtle were used in the final preparations of the dead in ancient Greece.
Mentha leaves, fresh or dried, are the culinary source of mint. Mint leaves are used widely in teas, jellies, beverages, candies, syrups, and ice creams, while in Middle Eastern cuisine, mint is used traditionally on lamb dishes. In British cuisine, mint sauce is served with lamb.
Mint also has medicinal value and has been used to treat stomach ache and chest pains in the past. Mint tea is also used as a home remedy to soothe stomach pain. During Medieval times, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth. Mint tea also happens to be a strong diuretic. Mint aids digestion and is believed to be useful in the treatment of obesity and improves respiration and immune system. Mint is also useful for nausea, irritable bowel, and headaches.
