Gingermint (Mentha xgracilis)

Synonyms: Mentha cardiaca, Mentha gentilis, Mentha ?gentilis L. var. cardiaca, Mentha ?muelleriana

Description: Hybrid cross between Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis) and Spearmint (Mentha spicata). Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction; culinary, medicinal uses.

Habit: Perennial forb, aromatic, growing to 0.4 m (1 ft 6 in) by 0.6 m (2 ft).

Leaves: Opposite.

Stems: Erect; upright; square shaped; touch of red; 12-30 in high.

Flowers: Violet/Lavender in color, sterile, flowers appear in whorls on long, thin spikes.

Fruit and seeds: Sterile - Does not seed.

Habitat: Grows in sandy, loamy; and clay soils; prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils; semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.

Reproduction: By dividing rhizomes; tubers; corms or bulbs (including offsets); softwood cuttings.

Similar species: Other species of Mint (Mentha spp.).

Monitoring and rapid response: Hand-pulling; boiling water; smothering it out; effectively controlled using any of the several readily available general use herbicides such as glyphosate.

Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from the Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, The Herb Society of America and USDA PLANTS Database.

Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org).Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).

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