Plants That Smell Like Mint – Example, Types, Appearances and Pictures!

Mint has got a great flavor as well as a good smell. Though they are mainly in any dish for their flavor, we cannot deny that they add a good smell. But have you ever thought that if there exists any plants that smell like mint?

Whatever your answer is, the fact is yes, there exists plants that smell like mint. Some of them may look like mint or not. Other than that, there are also plants that look like mint but do not smell like mint and vice-versa. In this article, we will try to cover all of this information.

What is Mint?

Mint, also known as Mentha, is a natural herb. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. This family also contains other plants which are a lot similar to mint. People use mint as a herb in their food, either fresh or dried.

This herb can add a lot of flavor while it also reduces sugar and sodium. Many manufacturers of toothpaste, body cream, gum etc also use min in their products.

Plants That Smell Like Mint

Other than the mint itself, there are some plants that smell like mint. Peppermint Geranium and mint rose Geranium are two most famous plants that smell like mint.

Peppermint Geranium

Like mint, this plant also has a very aromatic smell. This plant is a long growing, spreading evergreen natural herb. The leaves are rounded and heart shaped with a hairy texture. They have a very minty smell and they are soft and smooth to touch. This tree grows from spring to summer.

Mint Rose Geranium

This is also known as mint scented rose.  This does not get as large as other plants of this geranium family. They can create a shade in the garden also. The flower of this plant is usually pink in color. They need sun for their growth.

Plants That Smells Like Mint With White Flowers

A lot of flowers smell like mints as well as they have white flowers. They create an appeal not only for their mint-like smell but also for their beautiful flowers.

Lemon Balm

The lemon balm with its scientific name Melissa officinalis is a member of the mint family. They are a kind of bushy leafy herb . They have a smell like mint and lemon. The flowers are white and small in shape.

Many people confuse them with peppermint and spearmints. But it is different from them. If you grow them in your garden you should control it properly.

Australian Alpine Mint Bush

This plant is small, bushy and dense. They generally grow inclining to the earth. This herb is actually the wild form of mint. They have a strong aroma. Cold weather is not favorable for this kind of mint. Relatively larger white flowers than stems starts to bloom in winter.

Plants That Smells Like Mint With Purple Flowers

A lot of mint herbs exist which have purple flowers. Here, we would like to give some examples of mint like smelling plants which have purple flowers.

Hummingbird Mint

This herb is native to North America. They may grow in various areas from woods to desserts. The purple flower of them is longer in shape. They may easily attract the butterflies and other bees.

Catmint

Like the previous one, this herb with purple flowers can also attract bees and butterflies. They are tolerant to cold and droughts. Catmints also have a variant with white flowers, but they are not native to America.

Plant That Looks Like Mint But Are Not

A lot of plants exist that may look like a mint but are not actually mint. Most of them belong to the same family as mint. Minty smell is something that differs this plant from the actual mint.

Catnip

Catnip also belongs to the Lamiaceae family like mint. They carry the general features of the mint family. They almost look the same but with coarse leaves. Though the flowers of catnip are very fragrant, the herb does not have any minty smell.

Chinese Artichoke (Crones)

They are native to China and before 100 years they were brought to America. Like mint you can just plant them for one time in a year and they will grow spontaneously.

Plant That Smells Like Mint But Are Not

As we have discussed in our previous section, lemon balm, peppermint, and mint rose are some of the plants that smell like mint. But they are not actual mint.

Salvia Family

The plants in this family contain a smell similar to mint but they are not mint actually. They are very healthy still. The Latin word “salvia “refers to the health.

Chemical in Mint Flower

The most active chemical in mint is terpene alcohol or menthol. 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol is the chemical name for this alcohol. Usually manufacturers extract it from the leaves of the peppermint.

Flower That Smells Like Mint

Some flowers contain a minty smell with them and they are generally attractive. They may easily attract the bees, butterflies and insects. Some of these flowers may be as below:

Weeds That Smells Like Mint

Since a lot of people enjoy smell  like mint, many breeders are marijuana is producing some mint like weeds. The Terpene alcohol is the reason behind this smell. Some of the weeds that smell like mint may follow as below:

1. Mint Chocolate chip
2. Sin mint cookies
3. Animal mint
4. Chocolate mint OG
5. Thin mint girl scout cookies
6. Snow Ryder
7. Monkey mint
8. Mud Bite
9. Arjan’s ultra haze

Final Thoughts

In conclusion we can say that there are some herbs that smells like mint and most of them share the same family as mint like lemon balm and mint rose. Some herbs also look like mint but they are not mint while some other smells like mint but they do not look like mint. We have discussed some of them but there are many more.