If the mint growing in your backyard has soft, rounded leaves, it might be apple mint ( Mentha suaveolens ). This plant is also called woolly mint because its stems and leaves are covered with fine, soft hairs. Flower spears are white or pale pink. Less minty than peppermint or spearmint, apple mint tastes fruity.
Both have fuzzy leaves with jaggedly toothed edges that smell strongly minty when crushed. Both these mints also bear pale lilac flowers . To distinguish between them, you’ll have to take a nibble.
About Mint Mint is a perennial herb with very fragrant, toothed leaves and tiny purple, pink, or white flowers . There are many varieties of mint—all fragrant, whether shiny or fuzzy, smooth or crinkled, bright green or variegated. However, you can always tell a member of the mint family by its square stem.
Here is what I researched. a strong menthol aftertaste means peppermint, while a sweet, light flavor means spearmint. Use young spearmint leaves in cooking, peppermint leaves for tea and other drinks. The climate in which the mint is growing can also help you identify it.
What is the best mint seed to eat?
Spearmint is perhaps the best-loved of all the mints. This herb bears lavender flowers in late spring, and its leaves are dark green and sharply pointed.
How long does it take for mint seeds to grow?
To sow the seeds indoors, place them on top of the Bio Sponge in your Bio Dome, or on top of the medium in your seed flat. Do not cover the seeds; they need light to germinate . They should sprout within 10 to 15 days at room temperature or slightly warmer (68 to 75°F).
How long does it take for mint seeds to sprout?
Do not cover the seeds; they need light to germinate. They should sprout within 10 to 15 days at room temperature or slightly warmer (68 to 75°F). Transplant into the garden or container when they have at least 2 sets of true leaves.
What are the leaves of a chocolate mint plant like?
Chocolate mint leaves are long and lance-shaped , providing a lovely contrast to the lavender flowers that appear in summer. This mint thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9. Some mints are not intended to be used for cooking. Instead, you can use ornamental mints to fill in empty sections of a garden with texture and bright foliage.
A inquiry we ran across in our research was “What does a peppermint plant look like?”.
Here is what I stumbled across. foliage: Peppermint has hairless, serrated, spear-shaped dark green leaves that are somewhat glossy as compared to most other mints. Some peppermint will have a reddish tinge around the edges, a trait likely passed down from watermint.
One source argued that the smallest mint foliage, Corsican mint leaves grow about a 1/4 inch in length and appear in great profusion over the inch-high plant. The leaves are bright green and inedible . Corsican mint is often reserved for ground covers and herbal lawns, says University of Oregon Extension. When walked on, the plants release a creme de menthe scent.
What does apple mint taste like?
Flower spears are white or pale pink. Less minty than peppermint or spearmint, apple mint tastes fruity . The leaves have a mild, sweet flavor that makes apple mint perfect with salads or fresh fruit.