''Mentha darvasica'' 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 ...

'', native to Darvaz,

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 darvasica'' as 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

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, ''Mentha darvasica'' grows stems 20–30 centimeters long, and propagates via

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. It produces ovate to oblong-ovate leaves of 1 to 3 centimeters.

Use

''Mentha darvasica'' has been reported to have

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may a ...

(

antiparasitic Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases, such as those caused by helminths, amoeba, ectoparasites, parasitic fungi, and protozoa, among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic agent ...

) characteristics. It has been used against the

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

Bunostomum ''Bunostomum'' is a genus of nematodes of the small intestine of ruminants and camelids. Important species include: ''B. phlebotomum'' in calves and ''B. trigonocephalum'' in lambs. The worms are stout and measure in length. Young animals are mo ...

Chabertia ovina ''Chabertia ovina'', the large-mouthed bowel worm, is a species of parasitic roundworms that infects sheep, goats (occasionally cattle) and other wild ruminants. Infection of pigs are very infrequent. It is not known to be contagious to humans. ...

and Trichostrongylidae.

Notes

References

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