User:Nugentno/sandbox

native to the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey.

Description
The plant flowers from the months of July to September.

The seeds of the spearmint plants contain relatively larger pollen grains and seeds, which measure 37-42 mm and 0.62-0.90 mm respectively.

Genetics
The plant is a triploid species (2n=48), which could be a consequence of hybridization and chromosome doubling. Mentha longifolia and Mentha suaveolens (2n=24) are suspected to be the contributing diploid species.

Ecology
Spearmint can readily adapt to grow in a various soil. Spearmint tends to thrive with plenty of organic material in full sun to part shade. The plant is also known to be found in moist habitats such as swamps or creeks, where the soil is consists of sand or clay.

Spearmint ideally thrives in soils that are moist, rich in nutrients and organic matter, have a crumbly texture, and planted deeply. pH range should be between 6.0 —7.5.

Fungal diseases
Fungal diseases are common diseases in spearmint. Two main diseases are rust and leaf spot. Puccinia menthae is a fungus that causes the disease called “rust”. Rust affects the leaves of spearmint by producing pustules inducing the leaves to fall off. Leaf spot is a fungal disease that occurs when Alternaria alernata is present on the spearmint leaves. The infection looks like circular dark spot on the top side of the leaf. Other fungi that cause disease in spearmint are Rhizoctonia solani, Verticillium dahliae, Phoma stasseri, and Erysiphe cischoracearum.

Nematode Diseases
Some nematode diseases in spearmint include root knot and root lesions. Nematode species that cause root knots in this plant are various Meloidogyne species. The other Nematode species are Pratylenchus which cause root lesions.

Viral and Phytoplasmal Diseases
Spearmint can be infected by tobacco ring spot virus. This virus can lead to stunted plant growth and deformation of the leaves in this plant. In China, spearmint have been seen with mosaic symptoms and deformed leaves. This is an indication that the plant can also be infected by the viruses, cucumber mosaic and tomato aspermy.

Research and Health Effects of Spearmint Oil
Spearmint has been used traditionally as medicines for minor ailments such as fevers, and digestive disorders. There is research on spearmint extracts in the treatment of gout and as an antiemetic. There is research on the possible cytotoxic effects of spearmint on leukemia cells.

Spearmint Oil used as Insecticide and Pesticide
Spearmint essential oil has had success as a larvicide against mosquitos. Using spearmint as a larvicide would be a greener alternative to synthetic insecticides due to their toxicity and negative affect to the environment.