Hello Helpful Gardeners!
I live in China and I bought some "Lemon Mint" and "Mint" on line. I started growing them in small pots in my kitchen planning to transplant later. I wanted mint for cooking and I like adding it to tea.
Anyways, the leaves of both plants look the same and look nothing like any of the mint plants or mint sprouts I can find pictures of on the web. I scrolled through hundred of images and found none. Can anyone here tell me if I am really growing some kind of mint?
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- applestar
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There are many kinds in the mint “family” but ones called “mint” should have the minty sharp smell that range in quality — but they can smell different like peppermint or spearmint. Some plants are in the mint family but not minty, like Lemon Balm/Melissa. Some plants can have minty smell but is not actually part of the mint family.
- do they have square stems? = mint family
- what do they smell like? They should at least have some kind of strong scent when a leaf is held between thumb and forefinger, then the fingers are sniffed. Also try drying then crushing the dried leaf — this will concentrate the aroma
...there is a kind of lamium (part of mint family and has square stems) that is considered a weed here and does not have any aromatic scent called Henbit. These leaves remind me of henbit. It IS an edible, forageable weed though.
- do they have square stems? = mint family
- what do they smell like? They should at least have some kind of strong scent when a leaf is held between thumb and forefinger, then the fingers are sniffed. Also try drying then crushing the dried leaf — this will concentrate the aroma
...there is a kind of lamium (part of mint family and has square stems) that is considered a weed here and does not have any aromatic scent called Henbit. These leaves remind me of henbit. It IS an edible, forageable weed though.
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Thanks for the fast response applestar!
So I plucked a leaf off since I have cinnamon on top the soil. I smelled it and I can not detect any mintness. The stem does seem squarish though not really sure since it is so tiny still.
I am drying a leaf in the sun and will check for smell again later. I did look up the herb Henbit and it does seem to look more like it. If the seller sold me Henbit I will be a sad panda. However I might still grow it and eat it, just to try.
So I plucked a leaf off since I have cinnamon on top the soil. I smelled it and I can not detect any mintness. The stem does seem squarish though not really sure since it is so tiny still.
I am drying a leaf in the sun and will check for smell again later. I did look up the herb Henbit and it does seem to look more like it. If the seller sold me Henbit I will be a sad panda. However I might still grow it and eat it, just to try.
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- Newly Registered
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- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:35 am