''Minthostachys verticillata'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family ''

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

''. It is commonly known as peperina, is the only species of the genus ''

Minthostachys ''Minthostachys'' is a genus of the mint family Lamiaceae, comprising aromatic scandent shrubs. It occurs along the Andes from Northern Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to Central Argentina. Use and conservation The plants a ...

'' known from

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. It occurs in the northwestern and central regions of the country. It may be the most economically important species of its genus, as it is collected extensively for its

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

s. These have been repeatedly examined for their composition, variability, and possible pharmacological effects.Zyglado, J.A., Maestri, D.M., Lamarque, A.L., Guzmán, C.A., Velasco-Negueruela, A., Pérez-Alonso, M.J., García-Vallejos, M.C., Grosso, N.R., 1996. Essential oil variability of ''Minthostachys verticillata''. ''Biochemical Systematics and Ecology'' 24, 319–323. Due to varying views on the circumscription of species, the species is sometimes subsumed with others under the catch-all name ''

Minthostachys mollis ''Minthostachys mollis'' is a medicinal plant restricted to the South American Andes from Peru to Bolivia. It is the most variable and widely distributed species of the genus ''Minthostachys''. Its common name ''muña'' comes from Quechua. Other ...

''.

References

Lamiaceae Flora of Argentina Taxa named by August Grisebach {{Lamiaceae-stub