Horse Mint

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Horse Mint
• Biblical mint
• silver mint
• wild mint

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Mentha spicata subsp. longifolia
• Mentha spicata var. longifolia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae, it is classified under the genus Mentha. As a member of the Mentha genus, Mentha longifolia is recognized for its specific medicinal properties.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse range of habitats across several different European regions. In Northern Europe, its presence can be specifically noted within the country of Sweden. Moving into Middle Europe, the species is also found distributed throughout Austria and Belgium. Furthermore, its range extends across the territories of Czechia and Slovakia. Finally, the distribution continues through Germany, completing its footprint across these central landscapes.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Mentha longifolia is characterized by its preference for highly moist and aquatic-adjacent environments, typically thriving in habitats such as canals, lakes, rivers, and swamps. This species demonstrates a broad adaptability to varying topographical positions, occupying a significant altitudinal gradient that begins at an elevation of 75 m AMSL and extends to a maximum of 3500 m AMSL. Such a wide elevational range allows the plant to colonize diverse ecological niches ranging from lowland riparian zones to high-altitude montane wetlands.

Elevational range max:

3500 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

75 m AMSL

Habitat :

canals, lakes, rivers, swamps

Life history

The life history of Mentha longifolia is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. It functions biologically as a hemicryptophyte, a life form where the perennating buds are located at or just below the soil surface, protected by leaf litter or organic debris. This species exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its foliage during unfavorable seasonal conditions to conserve energy and resources. Through these integrated biological traits, the plant maintains a stable presence within its ecological niche, cycling through periods of active vegetative growth and dormancy.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Mentha longifolia is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, manifesting as a self-supporting plant that does not function as a climber or a liana. It is an independent species, functioning neither as a parasite nor as an epiphyte, and is classified as a terrestrial plant. The stature of the plant is variable, with height measurements ranging from a minimum of 0.15 m to a maximum of 1.8 m, resulting in an average plant height of approximately 0.725 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.8 m

Plant height mean:

0.725 m

Plant height min:

0.15 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Mentha longifolia is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway and a non-carnivorous nutritional strategy. The vegetative morphology is defined by elliptic-shaped leaves that exhibit significant dimensional variability, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 1.5 cm to a maximum of 10 cm, and leaf widths spanning from 0.5 cm to 4 cm. These dimensions contribute to a mean leaf size of 17.77 cm². Furthermore, the plant demonstrates a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 286.35 cm²/g, reflecting its internal leaf structure and resource allocation efficiency.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

10 cm

Leaf length min:

1.5 cm

Leaf size mean:

17.77 cm²

Leaf width max:

4 cm

Leaf width min:

0.5 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

286.35 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Mentha longifolia is characterized by a biotic pollination syndrome, specifically driven by insects, which facilitates the fertilization process as self-fertilization is noted to be absent. The flowering period typically begins in July and extends through September, featuring violet-colored flowers that range in length from 0.3 cm to 0.4 cm. These flowers are arranged in inflorescences with lengths varying between 0.02 m and 0.1 m. Following successful pollination, the plant produces indehiscent fruits categorized as achenes. These small fruits measure between 0.07 cm and 0.08 cm in length and 0.05 cm and 0.06 cm in width. The resulting seeds are minute, with a mean mass of approximately 6.5075e-05 g, ranging from a minimum of 1e-05 g to a maximum of 0.00012 g. Dispersal of these seeds is primarily hydrochorous, utilizing water as the medium for movement, and the plant does not exhibit asexual reproduction.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

hydrochorous

Flower colour :

violet

Flower length max:

0.4 cm

Flower length min:

0.3 cm

Flowering time :

Jul

Flowering time :

Sep

Fruit length max:

0.08 cm

Fruit length min:

0.07 cm

Fruit type :

achene

Fruit width max:

0.06 cm

Fruit width min:

0.05 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.1 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.02 m

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed mass max:

0.00012 g

Seed mass mean:

6.5075e-05 g

Seed mass min:

1e-05 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Mentha longifolia has 4 reported plant parts identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, flower, root, stem.

Leaf

1. Journal of wound care
2. BioMed research international
3. BMC microbiology
4. Science progress
5. Scientific reports

Flower

1. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

Root

1. BMC microbiology

Stem

1. BMC microbiology

Chemicals

Mentha longifolia has 157 reported phytochemicals identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Pulegone, Flavonoids, rosmarinic acid, 1,8-Cineole, MENTHOL.

Pulegone

1. Dr. Duke
2. BioMed research international
3. International journal of phytoremediation
4. BMC veterinary research
5. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Flavonoids

1. Scientifica
2. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan
3. Scientific reports
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology

rosmarinic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Frontiers in nutrition
4. Chemistry & biodiversity

1,8-Cineole

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. PloS one

MENTHOL

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Menthyl acetate

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

Piperitenone oxide

1. Dr. Duke
2. Fitoterapia
3. PloS one

Piperitone oxide

1. Dr. Duke
2. Fitoterapia
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

THYMOL

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

CD

1. International journal of phytoremediation
2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Activities

Mentha longifolia has 352 reported activities identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Antimutagenic, Anticancer.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Scientifica
3. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. BioMed research international
3. Scientific reports
4. ACS omega
5. Veterinary research forum : an international quarterly journal

Antimicrobial

1. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials
4. Frontiers in nutrition
5. ACS omega

Antimutagenic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan
3. Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS

Anticholinesterase

1. Dr. Duke
2. BioMed research international

Antifungal

1. Scientifica
2. ACS omega

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antinociceptive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in nutrition

Medicinal Uses

Mentha longifolia has 49 reported medicinal uses identified across 8 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include oligomenorrhea, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, amenorrhea, antioxidant.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations