Mentha spicata L., Lamiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk; score: 11.5 (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment for Mentha spicata)

Other Latin names:  Mentha &mult; villosa Huds. var. cordifolia (Opiz) Lebeau; Mentha aquatica var. crispa (L.) Benth.; Mentha cordifolia Opiz; Mentha crispa L.; Mentha crispata Schrad. ex Willd.; Mentha microphylla K. Koch; Mentha tomentosa d'Urv.; Mentha tomentosa subsp tomentosa d'Urv.; Mentha viridis (L.) L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: heung fah tsoi, xiang hua cai

English: spearmint

German: Krauseminz, grüne Minz

Hawaiian: kepemineka

Philippine: verbena

Portuguese: hortelã-comum, hortelã-preta, hortelã-verde

Spanish: menta romana, yerbabuena

Swedish: grönmynta

Thai: sepae min

Habit:  herb

Description:  Mentha (genus): "Perennial herbs, aromatic in all parts; stems creeping underground and erect aboveground. Lvs sessile or petiolate. Infl usu in long spikes or compact heads of dense, many-flwd verticils. Flw cal radially symmetrical, usu 5-toothed; cor ±radially symmetrical, tube shorter than cal, with 4 ±equal lobes, upper lobe broader and notched; stam 4, ±equal, usu projecting, anth cells 2, fertile. Nutlets smooth, reticulate, or warty." (A Tropical Garden Flora, p. 358)

Mentha spicata (as "Mentha ×spicata"): "Herb, usu sweetly fragrant (or pungent or musky), glabrous to densley hairy (hairs usu simple, or a few branched hairs on lf underside); erect stems 12-40" tall. Lvs usu sessile; blades ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 2-3.5" long, 0.6-1.25" wide, flat or puckered, margins serrate. Infl variable, usu a terminal, cylindrical spike 0.2-0.6" ⌀. Flw cal bell-shaped, teeth subequal; cor lilac, pink, or white. Frt red-brown to black." (A Tropical Garden Flora, p. 358)

"M[entha] spicata (spearmint) is a large perennial herb with the familiar mint smell, spreading by rhizomes and reaching 1m in height. Leaves up to 8cm long, in opposite pairs. Small, pink to mauve flowers crowded in a narrow spike up to 9cm long at the shoot tip, produced in summer." (Western Weeds, pp. 179-180)

Habitat/ecology:  [in cultivation,] "[Mentha ×spicata] does best in rich, fertile soil with plenty of water, and it generally needs to be replanted every two or three years as the older plants become woody and straggly." (A Tropical Garden Flora, p. 358)

Propagation:  spreads by rhizomes (Western Weeds, p. 179)

[in cultivation,] "[Mentha ×spicata] is usually propagated by tip cuttings or division of prostrate rooted stems." (A Tropical Garden Flora, p. 358)

Native range:  Mentha spicata (Lamiaceae) is native to Europe. (Western Weeds, p. 180)

Impacts and invaded habitats:  (no invaded habitats or impacts known by PIER; please let us know if you know of such information we should add here)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Raivavae (Raevavae) Island		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Chatham Islands	Pitt Island (NZ)		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Asia Asia	Asia (temperate)	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Asia Asia	Cyprus	native cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) info from both Mentha spicata var. spicata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=315730 accessed 20180820) and Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=407800 accessed 20180820)
Asia Asia	Lebanon	native	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Asia Asia	Pakistan	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Asia Asia	Syria	native	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Australia Australia	Australia	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
China China	China (People's Republic of)	cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized": both Mentha spicata var. spicata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=315730 accessed 20180820) and Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=407800 accessed 20180820)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Africa Africa	Africa	cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Africa Africa	Azores	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Canary Islands Canary Islands	Canary Islands	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Caribbean Islands Caribbean Islands	West Indies	cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Eurasia Eurasia	Turkey	native cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) info from both Mentha spicata var. spicata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=315730 accessed 20180820) and Mentha spicata L. subsp. condensata (https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=407800 accessed 20180820)
Europe Europe	Europe	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized" (see ref. for details)
Europe Europe	Europe (eastern)	introduced cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized" (see ref. for details)
Europe Europe	Europe (southeastern)	native	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
Europe Europe	Madeira	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Europe Europe	Portugal	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
Europe Europe	Spain	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
India India	India (Republic of)	cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)
South America South America	Argentina	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
South America (non-Pacific rim) South America (non-Pacific rim)	Brazil	introduced	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown) "Naturalized"
United States of America United States	United States	cultivated	U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (year unknown)

Comments:  "naturalized occasionally in drains, disturbed creeks and swamps throughout the south-west [of Western Australia] . . . . (Western Weeds, p. ?180)

present in Hawaii (Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems in Hawaii, p. 141)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Mentha spicata, please let us know.