Description
Also referred to as पुदीना (Hindi) or wild mint.
Perennial plant with wide-spreading rhizomes.
Cirumboreal distribution (temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America).
For commercial production, mean temperatures around 20-40°C during the major part of the growing period and rainfall between 100 and 110 cm are ideal (also desirable are light showers at planting, and ample sunshine at harvest). Major growing areas are India (oil production ~30,000 tons/year), China, Brazil, Argentina, and Vietnam.
Vegetatively propagated hybrid.
Major source for crystal (-)-menthol.
Genetics
2n=8x=96 (Mentha arvensis L. var. candadensis).
2n=6x=72 (Mentha arvensis L. var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey).
Oil characteristics
High: (-)-menthol.
Medium: (-)-menthone.
Low: (+)-isomenthone, (+)-neomenthol, (-)-menthyl acetate.
Essential oil composition of cornmint (Mentha arvensis) from Uttarakhand growing area (India):
| Constituent |
Abundance
(% of oil) |
Structure |
| (-)-Menthol |
70-85 |
-Menthol.svg) |
| (-)-Menthone |
5-10 |
-Menthone.svg) |
| (+)-Isomenthone |
3-6 |
-Isomenthone.svg) |
| (-)-Menthyl acetate |
1-3 |
-Menthyl_acetate.svg) |
| (+)-Neomenthol |
1-2 |
-Neomenthol.svg) |
| (-)-Limonene |
1-2 |
-Limonene.svg) |
| 3-Octanol |
1-2 |
 |
Minor constituents (between 0.5 and 1.5 %): myrcene, α-pinene, β-pinene, isopulegol, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, germacrene D, piperitone. About 10-15 other constituents are generally detectable at below 0.5 %.
References
B.M. Lawrence (Ed.) (2006) Mint - The Genus Mentha, CRC Press.
Singh, A.K. et al. (2005) Essential oil composition and chemoarrays of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis L. f. piperascens Malinv. ex Holmes). Flavor Fragr. J. 20:302-305.
