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MiNT
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{{otheruses1|the herb}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Mentha''
| image = Mentha longifolia 2005.08.02 09.53.56.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Mentha longifolia''
| regnum =
Plantae
| divisio =
flowering plant Magnoliophyta
| classis =
dicotyledon Magnoliopsida
| ordo =
Lamiales
| familia =
Lamiaceae
| genus = '''''Mentha'''''
| genus_authority =
Carolus Linnaeus L.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
The true '''mints''' (
genus ''Mentha'') are
perennial plant perennial herbs in the
Family (biology) Family Lamiaceae. There are about 25-30
species in the genus, seven from
Australia, one in
North America, and the others from
Europe and
Asia; several
hybrids also occur. According to
Greek mythology, the plant was named after
Minthe.
;Selected species
*''
Mentha aquatica'' –
Water mint, or '''Marsh mint'''
*''
Mentha arvensis'' – '''Corn Mint''', '''Wild Mint''' and '''Japanese Peppermint'''
*''
Mentha asiatica''
*''
Mentha australis''
*''
Mentha canadensis'' (syn. ''M. arvensis'' var. ''canadensis'')
*''
Mentha cervina''
*''
Mentha citrata'' (syn. ''M. odorata'') –
Bergamot mint (smells like
Bergamot (herb) Bergamot)
*''
Mentha crispata''
*''
Mentha cunninghamii''
*''
Mentha dahurica''
*''
Mentha diemenica''
*''
Mentha gattefossei''
*''
Mentha grandiflora''
*''
Mentha haplocalyx''
*''
Mentha japonica''
*''
Mentha kopetdaghensis''
*''
Mentha laxiflora''
*''
Mentha longifolia''
*''
Mentha micrantha''
*''
Mentha microphylla''
*''
Mentha pulegium'' –
Pennyroyal
*''
Mentha requienii'' – '''Corsican mint'''
*''
Mentha sachalinensis''
*''
Mentha satureioides''
*''
Mentha spicata'' –
Spearmint, Curly mint
*''
Mentha suaveolens'' (syn. ''M. rotundifolia'') –
Apple mint (smells like
apples) and
Pineapple mint (a variegated cultivar of Apple mint)
*''
Mentha sylvestris'' –
Horsemint,
Wild mint
*''
Mentha vagans''
;Selected hybrids
*''Mentha × dalmatica'' [= ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. longifolia'']
*''Mentha × dumetorum'' [= ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. longifolia'']
*''Mentha × gracilis'' [= ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. spicata'']
*''Mentha × maximilianea'' [= ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. suaveolens'']
*''Mentha × muelleriana'' [= ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. suaveolens'']
*''
Mentha × piperita'' [= ''M. aquatica'' × ''M. spicata''] –
Peppermint,
Chocolate mint
*''Mentha × rotundifolia'' [= ''M. longifolia'' × ''M. suaveolens'']
*''Mentha × verticillata'' [= ''M. arvensis'' × ''M. aquatica'']
*''Mentha × villosa'' [= ''M. spicata'' × ''M. suaveolens'']
Mints are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
Buff Ermine.
Cultivation and uses
Image:MintPlant.jpg thumb|right|chocolate mint
Image:Mint leaves.jpg thumb|right|mint leaves
Mints are generally vigorous, spreading plants that tolerate a wide range of conditions. They can be highly
invasive species invasive plants, so caution should be taken in cultivation or it can take over an entire garden.
The most common and popular mints for cultivation are
peppermint (''Mentha × piperita''),
spearmint (''Mentha spicata''), and (more recently)
pineapple mint (''Mentha suaveolens''). The dark green leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavour with a cool aftertaste. Mint
essential oils are used to flavour
food,
candy,
teas, breath fresheners,
antiseptic mouth rinses, and
toothpaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, and ice creams. In Mid-Eastern cuisines, mint is used on lamb dishes. In
British cuisine,
mint sauce is popular with meats. Mint leaves generally refer to dried spearmint leaves. Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint have a much stronger odour and flavour, and potentially harmful medicinal effects. Pennyroyal resembles the other mints, but Corsican mint is unusual in being a low, mossy groundcover. The pineapple mint is particularly mild and popular.
Mint
essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavourings in drinks,
gum and
candy candies; see
mint (candy). The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavours are:
*
menthol: the main aroma of Spearmint, Peppermint, and Japanese Peppermint (a major commercial source).
*
pulegiol: in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint.
The '''mint family''', Lamiaceae, includes many other aromatic herbs, including most of the more common cooking herbs, including
basil,
rosemary,
Common sage sage,
oregano, and
catnip. In common usage, several other plants with fragrant leaves may be erroneously called a mint.
Vietnamese Coriander Vietnamese Mint, commonly used in
Southeast Asian cuisine, is not a member of the mint family. In Central and South America, mint is known as ''yerbabuena'' (literally, "good herb").
Medicinal and cosmetic uses
Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains. During the middle ages, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth.
Menthol is an ingredient of many cosmetics and perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also much used in medicine as component of many drugs, and are very popular in
aromatherapy.
References and external links
-
Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Mentha''
-
Flora Europaea: ''Mentha''
-
Flora of China: ''Mentha''
-
Mints at botanical.com
-
Medicinal use of mint in Armenia
Category:Lamiaceae
Category:Herbs
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da:Mynte
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ja:ミント
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pl:Mięta
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sr:Ð?ана
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sv:Myntor
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zh:è–„è?·
'''MiNT''' ("MiNT is Now TOS") is an alternative
operating system (OS)
Kernel (computer science) kernel for the
Atari ST computer and its successors which is
free software. Together with the free system components
fVDI (
device drivers),
XaAES (
GUI widgets), and
TeraDesk (a
file manager), you get a
free software free Atari TOS TOS compatible replacement OS that is even capable of
computer multitasking multitasking.
MiNT was originally released as "MiNT is Not TOS" (a play on
GNU "GNU's Not Unix") by Eric Smith. Atari adopted MiNT as an official alternative kernel with the release of the
Atari Falcon, under the name MultiTOS. Eric continued to release his own free versions in parallel, resulting in the one-character change of the acronym expansion.
There are several
Linux distribution distributions, most notably the
RPM Package Manager RPM-based ''
SpareMiNT'' as well as the ''
Debian GNU/MiNT''
porting effort.
See also
*
EmuTOS
{{operating-system-stub}}
Category:Atari ST software
Category:Disk operating systems
Category:Free software operating systems
Category:Operating systems
de:MiNT
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