Mentha longifolia, Biblical mint, Horse mint,
Wild mint, Silver mint, נענה משולבת ,نعنع بري
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin.
But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.
You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Matthew 23:23
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| | Scientific name: |
| Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. |
| Synonym name: |
| Mentha sylvestris L. |
| Common name: |
| Biblical mint, Horse mint, Wild mint |
| Hebrew name: |
| נענה משולבת |
| Arabic name: |
| نعنع بري |
| Family: |
| Labiatae / Lamiaceae, שפתניים |
Date Picture Taken: October 24, 2008
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| | Life form: |
| Hemicryptophyte |
| Leaves: |
| Opposite, entire, dentate or serrate |
| Flowers: |
| White |
| Flowering Period: |
| June, July, August, September, October |
| Habitat: |
| Humid habitats |
| Distribution: |
| Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Deserts and extreme deserts |
| Chorotype: |
| Euro-Siberian - Med - Irano-Turanian |
| Summer shedding: |
| Perenating |
Date Picture Taken: October 24, 2008
Derivation of the botanical name:
Mentha, the Latin name for mint was borrowed from Greek minthe μίνθη, whose origin is unknown. According to a myth retold by Ovid (43 BCE - 17 CE), a Roman poet, the name origanated in the transformation of the nymph Menthe or Minthe into the plant by Prosperina (Persephone). The explanation of Pliny (23 - 79 CE) is that the plant was originally called mintha by the Greeks, but because of the sweetness of its odor, the name was changed to mentha, the source of Latin menta. By this he clearly means that μίνθα inevitable suggested μίνθος "dung," and the incongruity of the association led to a change of spelling, since mint was fragrant.
longifolia, long-leaved.
horse mint, because the leaves are usually unpleasantly scented.(Codd 1985).
Closely similar names in the Semitic languages: Arabic an-na'na' النعناع, Aramaic nanea ܢܢܥܐ, and Hebrew nana, נענע.
- The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
- The standard author abbreviation Huds. is used to indicate William Hudson FRS (ca. 1730 – 1793), a British botanist and apothecary.
The Greek heduosmon Ήόύοσμον, is translated "mint" in two New Testament references (Luke 11:42 and Matt 23:23).
The ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Romans used Mentha longifolia for flavoring, as a carminative in medicine, and as a condiment in cookery.
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