[8] The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrated margin.

Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow.

Seeds from hybrids give rise to variable offspring, which may spread through vegetative propagation.

[12] As of December 2020[update], Plants of the World Online recognized the following species:[1] There are a number of plants that have mint in the common English name but which do not belong to the genus Mentha:[13][14][15] The mint genus has a large grouping of recognized hybrids.

[27] All mints thrive near pools of water, lakes, rivers, and cool moist spots in partial shade.

[28] In general, mints tolerate a wide range of conditions, and can also be grown in full sun.

Mints are supposed to make good companion plants, repelling insect pests and attracting beneficial ones.

The leaves have a warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste, and are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.

[32] Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains.

[33] There are several uses in traditional medicine[34] and preliminary research for possible use of peppermint in treating irritable bowel syndrome.

Menthol and mint essential oil are also used in aromatherapy which may have clinical use to alleviate post-surgery nausea.

[33][35] Although it is used in many consumer products, mint may cause allergic reactions in some people, inducing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headaches, heartburn, tingling or numbing around the mouth, anaphylaxis, or contact dermatitis.

[33][36] Mint oil is also used as an environmentally friendly insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests such as wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches.

This, in turn, ultimately derived from a proto-Indo-European root that is also the origin of the Sanskrit -mantha, mathana (premna serratifolia).

In many Indo-Aryan languages, it is called pudīna: Urdu: پودینہ, Hindi: पुदीना , Sindhi: ڦُودنو, Bengali: পুদিনা borrowed from Persian پودنه pudna or پونه puna meaning "pennyroyal".

As an English colloquial term, any small mint-flavored confectionery item can be called a mint.

[42] In common usage, other plants with fragrant leaves may be called "mint", although they are not in the mint family: Mentha pliocenica fossil seeds have been excavated in Pliocene deposits of Dvorets on the right bank of the Dnieper river between the cities of Rechitsa and Loyew, in south-eastern Belarus.