Choose mint by kind: a kitchen spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, or Corsican mint.
Choose spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, or Corsican mint
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Spearmint | Spicata and its kitchen names. The usual cooking mint | Do not buy peppermint when you want a milder leaf |
| Peppermint | Piperita hybrid. Sharper leaf for tea and candy | Do not treat it as the same flavor as spearmint |
| Apple mint | Suaveolens and pineapple mint. Fuzzy fruit-scented leaf | Do not expect a classic spearmint taste |
| Corsican mint | Requienii. A low mat between stones | Do not buy it as a weekly kitchen harvest |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of mentha that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the tag for kind first, then the Latin. [1] Spearmint is the cooking mound. Peppermint is a hybrid with a sharper leaf, and it is often confused with catmint at the shop. [2] Apple mint and Corsican mint are different habits, not shop nicknames for spearmint. [3] Sun and water stay on How to Grow Mint. Kind and use are the choice here. [4]
What is the difference between spearmint and peppermint?
Spearmint is Mentha spicata, the usual kitchen leaf. Peppermint is Mentha × piperita, a hybrid with a sharper taste. Both are this genus, not the same purchase.
Is Corsican mint for cooking?
No. Corsican mint is a low mat. Use spearmint or peppermint for a kitchen harvest.
Browse by kind
Match the harvest you want, then pick that kind. Spearmint is the cooking mound. Peppermint is the sharper hybrid. Corsican mint is a mat. Care for the plant you already have on How to Grow Mint.
Spearmint
spearmint is the kitchen mound. Moroccan mint and curly spearmint are the same cooking class. mojito mint is a spearmint relative for drinks, not peppermint.
Peppermint
peppermint is peppermint, a hybrid of water mint and spearmint. lemon mint is citrus peppermint. Sharper leaf, still culinary.
Apple mint
apple mint is apple mint — fuzzy round leaves with a fruit scent. pineapple mint is the variegated apple class, not a spearmint harvest.
Corsican mint
Corsican mint is a one- to three-inch mat. Grow it as a low cover, not a weekly kitchen cut.
Water mint
water mint wants wet ground at a pond or stream margin. It is not a dry-bed herb and not the same plant as peppermint.
Pennyroyal
pennyroyal is a mint in this catalog, not a cooking herb. Do not use it as tea.
Pennyroyal is not kitchen mint — and peppermint is not spearmint
Pennyroyal is still Mentha. It is not a cooking herb. Do not brew it as tea. Peppermint is not spearmint; read the tag for piperita versus spicata. water mint is a wet-margin plant, not a second peppermint. Do not buy Corsican mint when you want a weekly kitchen cut.
Can I drink pennyroyal tea?
No. Pennyroyal is not a kitchen mint. Use spearmint or peppermint for tea.
If you want a weekly kitchen cut, buy spearmint or peppermint — Corsican mint is a mat, not a cooking mound.
FAQ
Is chocolate mint a different plant?
Chocolate mint is a peppermint shop name we do not list as an extra card. Treat it as the peppermint class.
Is water mint the same as peppermint?
No. Water mint is Mentha aquatica. Peppermint is a hybrid of water mint and spearmint. Water mint wants a wet margin.
Is mojito mint spearmint?
Mojito mint is Mentha × villosa, a spearmint relative. Treat a mojito tag as the spearmint class, not peppermint.
Related guides
References
- [1] University of Maryland Extension -
https://www.extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-mint-home-garden - [2] Old Farmer's Almanac -
https://www.almanac.com/plant/mint - [3] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mentha-x-piperita/ - [4] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/mentha-spicata/
This note is part of Mentha Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors