Mentha longifolia (horse mint; syn. M. spicata var. longifolia L., M. sylvestris L., M. tomentosa D'Urv, M. incana Willd.) is a species in the genus Mentha (mint) native to Europe excluding Britain and Ireland, western and central Asia (east to Nepal and the far west of China), and northern and southern (but not tropical) Africa. It is a very variable herbaceous perennial plant with a peppermint-scented aroma. Like many mints, it has a creeping rhizome, with erect to creeping stems 40–120 cm tall. The leaves are oblong-elliptical to lanceolate, 5–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, thinly to densely tomentose, green to greyish-green above and white below. The flowers are 3–5 mm long, lilac, purplish, or white, produced in dense clusters (verticillasters) on tall, branched, tapering spikes; flowering in mid to late summer. It spreads via rhizomes to form clonal colonies.
Mentha Longifolia Care
Mentha Longifolia
Other names: Brookmint, Fillymint, St. John's Horsemint
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Humidity
High
Lighting
Part Sun
Hardiness zone
5 - 9
Difficulty
Medium
Hibernation
Cold Period
How to Care for the Plant
Water
Mint can grow successfully in a variety of soils and light conditions, but one thing it needs is constantly moist, not saturated, soil with adequate drainage. Mint plants need about 1 to 2 inches of water every week, depending on the conditions. This includes both rain and your supplemental watering.
Pruning
Cut back the entire plant by up to one-half its height to maintain its shape and to encourage dense, full growth. Trim back to within 1 inch of the soil if it's badly overgrown. Prune it back at any time during the growing season when it's more than 4 inches tall.
Fertilizer
A field study was conducted to determine the effect of different rates of application of N and P fertilizers at different time intervals on the growth and essential oil yield of indigenous mint (Mentha longifolia) during 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 cropping seasons. The response of growth and essential oil yield of crop to different fertilizer treatments was consistent in both the years. The Leaf Area Index (LAI) increased significantly with the increasing the rate of fertilizer application from 75/50 kg N/P2O5/ha (F4) to 100/75 kg N/P2O5/ha (F5) than the control and the lower rates of fertilizer application. Application of 75/50 kg N/P2O5/ha significantly increased the total dry matter and essential oil yield. Essential oil yield increased with the corresponding increase in the total number of leaves/plant and leaf area. The time of fertilizer application did not affect significantly the essential oil yield in both the cropping seasons. Overall, the essential oil yield of indigenous (wild) mint was maximum in F4 treatment (75/50 kg N/P2O5/ha) under the agro-ecological conditions of Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia.
Sunlight
Sandy
Soil
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Additional
Mentha longifolia can be toxic. It is a very variable herbaceous perennial plant with a peppermint-scented aroma. Like many mints, it has a creeping rhizome, with erect to creeping stems 40–120 cm tall.
Popularity
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