Spearmint.Mentha virides.
Found in old orchards and in upland pastures, by runnels, or wet hollows, during August.
The stalk (from 1 to 2 feet in height) bears branches in pairs; it is square, firm-fibred, and smooth. The color is green, with a purple tone.
The oval leaf, with its tapering, long tip, has a notched margin, is much veined, and is coarse in texture, while its surface is a trifle glossy. It has a strong aromatic flavor to the taste. In color it is green, showing the same red-purple of the stems at the ribs and margins. The leaves are set in pairs that spring at right angles to each other.
The very small tubular corolla is 4-divided, and dark lavender in color; the 5-parted calyx is green. The flowers are set in whorls about the stalk, with a space between each whorl,—beneath each ring of flowers, and supporting it in its place, are seen a pair of little purple-tinted bracts.
According to personal observation, the buds become dark purple in color on the south side of the stalk before those on the north side have lost their green. This is one of the nattiest of the Mints in growth, and is held in especial affection by children.