''Mentha pamiroalaica'' is a mint species within the genus ''

Mentha ''Mentha'' (also known as mint, from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta'') is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae (mint family). The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs n ...

'', endemic to the

Gissar Range Hisar Range ( tg, Қаторкӯҳи Ҳисор; uz, Hisor tizmasi, russian: Гиссарский хребет; uk, Ґаторкугі Гісор; fa, رشته‌کوه حصار; also known as Hissar, Hisor, or Gissar Range) is a mountain range ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

. The species was recorded by Russian botanist

Antonina Borissova Antonina Georgievna Borissova (1903–1970) was a Soviet botanist, specialising in the flora of the deserts and semi-desert of central Asia. Borissova authored 195 land plant species names, the ninth-highest number of such names authored by any ...

in 1954.

Taxonomy

While it is accepted as a distinct species by authorities such as

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

, some authors have treated ''Mentha pamiroalaica'' as simply a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''

Mentha longifolia ''Mentha longifolia'' (also known as horse mint, fillymint or St. John's horsemint; syn. ''M. spicata'' var. ''longifolia'' L., ''M. sylvestris'' L., ''M. tomentosa'' D'Urv, ''M. incana'' Willd.) is a species in the genus ''Mentha'' (mint) nati ...

.''

Description

''Mentha pamiroalaica'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

species, it grows to 60–160 centimeters in height and produces lilac-colored flowers. It produces ovate to oblong or lanceate leaves 8–10 centimeters in length.

Use

''Mentha pamiroalaica'' is eaten as food in traditional Uzbekistani cuisine.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mentha pamiroalaica pamiroalaica Flora of Tajikistan Plants described in 1954