thanks wall-1936, i think so too and i crushed it between my thumb and finger it has this bubble gum toothpaste smell...thanks again...^^

Sorry, ksrogers, but there's a need to clarify things a bit here! Plants are botanically classified in various ways. First, there's the overall classification 'Plantae', then there are gradually smaller and smaller groups, eventually leading to the individual name of a plant. Mints belong to the Lamiaceae Family. Within that Family is a Genus, 'Mentha'. Narrowing things down to individual plants, you get the Species name, describing some particular feature of that plant which differentiates it from its relatives. Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Mentha Binomial name Mentha piperita (the 'x' indicates that it is a cross between two closely related plants - ie other mints - which is why seeds from it will not usually give you what you want, but will probably revert. Peppermint does not usually produce seeds at all, so all peppermint is 'vegetatively propagated' - usually by root division or layering.) I've used an analogy for explaining botanical names in another post recently. Please read it. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg061624377094.html?3 If you're looking for Peppermint, you need to ask for Mentha piperita. The Genus it belongs to is Mentha (meaning 'mint'), and it's distinguishing feature is 'piperita' where in Latin, 'piper' means 'pepper', or 'pepper-flavoured'. Hence, Peppermint. If you're looking for Spearmint (common or garden mint) you'd be looking for Mentha spicata. Again the Genus 'Mentha', then its distinguishing feature 'spicata', which means 'grows in spikes' - referring to the shape of the leaves. There are almost 1000 different species of mint - ie plants in the Mentha Family in the same Genus, each with its own Species name. In the same Family (Lamiaceae) is Lemon Balm, but it belongs to a different Genus (Melissa) and its own Species name 'officinalis', which means 'official' ie used medicinally and mentioned (or once mentioned) in the list of plants and medicines called a Pharmocopaea. So we have a close relative of the Menthas, called Melissa officinalis. Not a mint, but having many of the characteristics of the whole group of plants that mints belong to. As for acquiring some Peppermint, I suggest you try to find a local gardening club, and beg, borrow or steal a cutting or two from a member who already has a peppermint plant. Gardeners are usually very friendly, and only too happy to share with each other. Don't be conned into buying peppermint seeds. You won't end up with peppermint! When ordering plants, it is very helpful to provide the full botanical (scientific, Latin) name. If you've bought a plant with just 'Mentha species' on it, the nursery who supplied to the place you bought it is being totally irresponsible. It could be any one of the above-mentioned thousand closely-related plants! It's sheer laziness in the industry, and we should all be rioting in the streets about it, IMO! Here is a link that might be useful: geneaology spearmint/peppermint

Hi all. I know this thread is quite old, but I am experiencing the same problems as Putri with my mint plant. It has been hard for me to describe the issues I have been having in a new post, but luckily Putri posted pictures on this thread. What is going on has been quite devastating for my plant, so any advice you all have on how to take care of it would be helpful. Can someone identify the problem related to the picture??

People's tastebuds vary.... My mom can give you every single ingredient in a complex meal by taste alone, while my dad can't tell if he's eating chicken or pork chops.... LOL ... Try making tea from it (once it gets bigger) -- sometimes the hot water brings out the flavor hidden in the plant (chocolate mint is like that). The more mature the leaf, the more flavor it will have, too... And the oils are even more concentrated in the stems of most mints. The upside is that virtually all mints make good tea ;) So you can't go wrong there. And if your tastebuds can't pick up the subtle flavor, heck, go ahead and use it for whatever ;) The stuff's good for ya regardless ;) Good luck with further ID...