Peppermint (Mentha X piperita) is a hybrid resulting from the crossing of Water Mint (M. aquatica) and Spearmint (M. spicata). It is cultivated in Europe, North Africa, and the United States. It is used in the production of peppermint oil by distillation. This oil is used to flavor sweets, chewing gum, cordials, liqueurs (e.g., Crème de Menthe), toothpastes, and various pharmaceutical products. The Peppermint plant has lanceolate to ovate short-stalked leaves and terminal oblong spikes of flowers, their stamens largely concealed within the reddish-lilac corolla ("corolla" is a term that refers collectively to all the petals of a flower). (Vaughan and Geissler 1997).
