Mentha sp  

Perennial, rhizomatous, strongly aromatic herbs of damp or wet places. Stems erect or ascending, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves simple, undivided, dentate to serrate. Verticillasters many-flowered, arranged in axils of upper leaves and forming interrupted or continuous spikes or head-like. Bracteoles small or absent.

Flowers very small, bisexual or female. Calyx campanulate or tubular. 10-13-nerved, 5-toothed, tube brous or villous at mouth. Corolla infundibuliform or weakly bilabiate, subequally 4-lobed, the uppermost slightly larger, tube included. Stamens 4, subequal, when fertile clearly exserted; thecae bilocular. Style subequally bifid. Nutlets small, ovoid or globose, mucilaginous on wetting or not.

El Kingd of Saudi Arabia Vol. 11 (2)

with prominently decies, one, Mentha longifolia (L) is found wild in the Asir. A form of this species Of its about 25-30 leaves is widely cultivated here. Additionally, M. x piperata L.. and sometimes M. curata Ehrh. are cultivated.

Key to the Species

Leaves petiolate, obtuse,

Leaves sessile or subsessile.

T. laevigatus

1. T. bovel

2. T. decussatus

Umm Al Qura University

April 12 1:57 PM

M. citrate

2

2

M. x piperata

1. M. longifolia

Leaves shortly petiolate, wrinkled, subglabrous.

Leaves sessile, lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic.

1. Mentha longifolia (L.) L.., Fl. Monspel.: 9 (1756). Plate Lab. 41.

-Mentha spicta L. var. longifolia L. (1753); M. longifolia (L.) Huds, in Briq.(1897). Arabic Name: Naana

Rhizomatous very variable herb. Branches erect to ascending, leafy, variously pubescent to soft-pilose. Leaves sessile, lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, discolorous, obscurely or prominently serrate, up to c. 8 x 1.5 (-3) cm, acute. Verticillasters many-flowered, arranged in dense terminal and axillary spikes towards the ends of branches; the spikes often interrupted at base. Bracteoles linear-setaceous, as long as or longer than flowers. Calyx up to c. 2 (-3) mm, narrowly campanulate, soft-hairy, with without oil globules; teeth subequal, as long as or shorter than the tube. Corolla lilac, up to c. 4 (-4.5) mm long, 4 lobed. Nutlets very small, ovoid, slightly mucilaginous on wetting.

Saudi Arabia: Western mountain ranges.

or c. 20 cm tall. Leaves the entire more or le less ed in terminal, dense, ensely pubescent and g. Corolla externally

22. Basilicum Moench

J-to many-flowered arranged in

il teeth

Distribution Europe and SW Asia.