Difference Between Water Mint and Peppermint

1. Difference of blades

The leaves of water mint are oblong to elliptical-lanceolate, about 3-7 cm long, with a sharp tip and a broad cuneate base. The edges have fine and sharp serrations, short soft hairs on the upper side, and soft hairs and glandular dots on the lower side.

The leaves of mint are usually lanceolate, elliptical or oblong-lanceolate, rarely oblong, similar in size to the former, with a sharp tip, a cuneate to nearly circular base, serrated teeth on the edges, hairy on both sides, and no glandular dots on the underside.

2. The difference between flowers

The water mint cyme inflorescence grows in the leaf axils, the bracts are linear-lanceolate, the calyx is bell-shaped, 5-lobed, the lobes are nearly triangular, and the corolla is light pink or purple, sometimes white.

The mint inflorescence is the same as the former, the calyx is tubular bell-shaped, with 5 calyx teeth, which are narrow triangular and subulate-shaped, and the corolla is lavender.