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Mentha grandiflora
Conservation status
Least Concern (NCA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Mentha
Species:	M. grandiflora
Binomial name
Mentha grandiflora Benth.

Mentha grandiflora is a plant species in the genus Mentha, endemic to eastern Australia. The species was described in 1848 by botanist George Bentham. Its epithet, grandiflora, means "with large flowers".

Taxonomy

Mentha grandiflora is generally accepted as a distinct species by taxonomy authorities, and along with Mentha pulegium and Mentha requienii, it is considered to belong to the section Pulegium within the Mentha genus. These three species have been proposed to be monophyletic, but this has not been confirmed due to lack of study of M. grandiflora.

M. grandiflora may also be categorized as among the species of mint whose primary monoterpene compound is menthol (rather than carvone or linalool).

Description

Mentha grandiflora is a small herb with "pale lilac-purple" flowers and a pronounced pennyroyal scent.

An analysis of the leaf essential oil components of M. grandiflora were first published in 1997, and found its primary constituents were: piperitenone oxide (36.2%), trans-piperitone oxide (21.4%), pulegone (19.1%), menthone (9.7%), d-Limonene (3.5%), bicyclogermacrene (2.1%), piperitenone (1.7%). Its high quantities of piperitenone oxide & trans-piperitone oxide differentiate it from the other endemic Australian species. This is the only known study of the essential oil of this species.

Distribution

Mentha grandiflora is endemic to regions of sandy soil in eastern Australia, from Queensland to northern New South Wales. Its distribution within this range has been described as "highly disjunct" however.

Use

Mentha grandiflora is considered unsuitable for food use. The report of the 1861 Victorian Exhibition, held in Melbourne, opined that "this mint has a fiery, bitter, and very unpleasant nauseous taste" such that "it could not be used as a substitute for common peppermint, except for medical purposes."

Notes

1. Australia, Atlas of Living. "Species: Mentha grandiflora". Retrieved 2021-03-27.
2. "Mentha grandiflora Benth". The Plant List. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
3. Harrison 2012, p. 101.
4. "Mentha grandiflora Benth". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
5. "Mentha grandiflora Benth". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
6. Tucker & Naczi 2006, p. 14.
7. Bunsawat et al. 2004, p. 963.
8. Šarić-Kundalić et al. 2009, p. 853.
9. ^ Brophy et al. 1997, p. 459.
10. Brophy et al. 1997, p. 460.
11. Brophy et al. 1997, p. 461.
12. Lawrence 2006, p. 339.
13. Tucker & Naczi 2006, p. 20.
14. Hegarty, Hegarty & Wills 2001, p. 22.
15. Coates, Osborne & Ashley 1861, p. 54.

References

• Brophy, Joseph J.; Goldsack, Robert J.; Forster, Paul I.; Fookes, Christopher J. R. (1997-07-01). "Leaf Essential Oil of Mentha grandiflora Benth. (Lamiaceae)". Journal of Essential Oil Research. 9 (4): 459–461. doi:10.1080/10412905.1997.9700749. ISSN 1041-2905. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
• Bunsawat, Jiranan; Elliott, Natalina E.; Hertweck, Kate L.; Sproles, Elizabeth; Alice, Lawrence A. (2004). "Phylogenetics of Mentha (Lamiaceae): Evidence from Chloroplast DNA Sequences". Systematic Botany. 29 (4): 959–964. doi:10.1600/0363644042450973. ISSN 0363-6445. JSTOR 25064024. S2CID 86816849. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
• Chambers, Henrietta L.; Hummer, Kim E. (1994). "Chromosome Counts in the Mentha Collection at the USDA: ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository". Taxon. 43 (3): 423–432. doi:10.2307/1222717. ISSN 0040-0262. JSTOR 1222717. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
• Coates, Dr.; Osborne, J. W.; Ashley, Edmund (1861). Report on Class III. Catalogue of the Victorian Exhibition, 1861. Melbourne: John Ferres.
• Hegarty, Merv; Hegarty, Elwyn; Wills, Ron (2001). Food Safety of Australian Plant Bushfoods. Queensland: Canprint. ISBN 0-642-58250-5.
• Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
• Lawrence, Brian M. (2006-12-13). "Oil Composition of Other Mentha Species and Hybrids". In Brian M. Lawrence (ed.). Mint: The Genus Mentha. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles (1st ed.). Boca Roton: CRC Press. pp. 325–346. ISBN 978-0-8493-0798-0.
• Šarić-Kundalić, Broza; Fialová, Silvia; Dobeš, Christoph; Ölzant, Silvester; Tekeľová, Daniela; Grančai, Daniel; Reznicek, Gottfried; Saukel, Johannes (2009). "Multivariate Numerical Taxonomy of Mentha Species, Hybrids, Varieties and Cultivars". Scientia Pharmaceutica. 77 (4): 851–876. doi:10.3797/scipharm.0905-10.
• Tucker, Arthur O.; Naczi, Robert F. C. (2006-12-13). "Mentha: An Overview of Its Classification and Relationships". In Brian M. Lawrence (ed.). Mint: The Genus Mentha. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles (1st ed.). Boca Roton: CRC Press. pp. 1–40. ISBN 978-0-8493-0798-0.

External links

• Data related to Mentha grandiflora at Wikispecies

• Nature Conservation Act least concern biota
• Mentha
• Herbs
• Endemic flora of Australia
• Plants described in 1848