Mint vs Spearmint

Mentha verticillata compared with Mentha spicata

Key Differences

• Mint is Least Concern while Spearmint is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mint	Spearmint
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family same	Lamiaceae	Lamiaceae
Genus same	Mentha	Mentha
Species	Mentha verticillata	Mentha spicata

Evolutionary Relationship

Mint and Spearmint share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Mentha.

Conservation Status

Mint

LC — Least Concern

Spearmint

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mint	Spearmint
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mint

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Spearmint

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya, Seychelles), Asia (India, Japan, Laos), Europe (27 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Peru).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States