Can someone help me identify what kind of mint this is?

[Lezahennaid]

Hello, everyone! Yesterday, I decided that it was time for me to start an herb garden in real life after years of playing The Sims and always choosing the "gardening" hobby, so I marched to this place right across my office that has a row of plant stores and bought 3 potted herbs for $0.75 each. I chose curly parsley, peppermint and chocolate mint. I know what curly parsley looks like so I immediately pointed to it but I had no idea what different kinds of mint look like so I asked the lady to give me the peppermint and chocolate mint. I smelled chocolate mint and thought, "yep, this is it" but forgot to sniff peppermint (big mistake!).

When I got home, I repotted the plants and sat in front of my computer to read about how to care for my new babies and realized that the peppermint plant in the photos I saw did not look at all like the one the lady gave me. I started looking for photos of different kinds of mint but gave up after hours of searching and thought I'd just create an account here and ask you guys. I REALLY need to know what this is. @_@

It has green stems and big, rounded leaves. I was thinking spearmint because it kind of smells like spearmint but I can't be sure because the photos of spearmint plants I keep seeing don't have big, rounded leaves. I pulled a leaf and rubbed it on my hand to smell it and it has a very weak, minty smell. I made tea out of it and it sure has a semi-sweet toothpaste-y taste but no hint of menthol at all. Help!

 

[Beverly]

Welcome to the forums Leza. The mint family (Lamiaceae) contains over 7000 species. Some mints are easily identifiable and many are not, so i have no doubt your head is spinning. If i understand correctly, the person you purchased it from called it Peppermint, but you don't think it is. Is this the problem? I have often received erroneous information regarding plant id from garden centers and nurseries. If it is care you are concerned about, most mints require similar conditions so i would follow instructions for Peppermint or Spearmint and that should work well for the plant you have. Another option is to return the mint to the place of purchase and ask if you can exchange the plant for some different plant (this time remembering to smell it). I grow Yerba Buena mint and it looks very similar to the one in your photo but the stems of my plant are very faintly colored with a redish hue, although the fragrance sounds similar. So much about mint id depends on the fragrance which really can't be done via photo (too bad, huh?). Still don't give up on your thread, someone may come along and recognize it. There are other members here from the Philippines who might have an idea of what it is.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

wow learned something, 7000 types, wow.

 

[Kallie]

Def no telling for sure what type of mint it is. Why not just take a leaf and go back in the place and try to identify it. Seems like the best way to go about it.

 

[herbs93]

I think I have the same kind, but it does not said anything on it when I bought it.
I think that is is quite hard to identify mints or herbs just by looking at them, usually they dont tell you much at the stores and as others said before me there a lots of species out there.

 

[maxen57]

This looks a lot like Melissa officinalis or commonly known as lemon balm. It does look a bit similar to herba buena that we have here in the Philippines. If I'm correct, it's actually not a native here in our country but in the United States and Mediterranean areas but had since sprung up in warmer climates. I'm starting a medicinal herbal garden of my own very soon. Might as well start familiarizing myself with local herbs and flowers that we have.

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

I don't think it is spearmint or peppermint. The tips of their leaves come to a point, typically. It's definitely not melissa officinalis, lemon balm, or there'd be an undeniable lemon smell every single time you messed with the leaves. It looks like mentha suaveolens, aka apple mint. But, I can't be sure just by photos. But that seems the most likely.