Menta, Mentuccia, Nepitella, Nepetella

Italians use three of the many varieties of mint available and further confusion arises from the fact that the same name has been given to two types of mint grown in different regions. The most common form of mint is peppermint, Mentha piperita, a very invasive plant that grows up to 1 metre (3 feet) high and has dark green oval, pointed leaves. This plant does not propagate by seeding but via its roots, which spread so quickly over the ground that it has to be contained by delimiting the area with stones pushed deep under the earth. The other commonly used variety is the small-leafed mint called mentuccia (M. romana) which is often confused with nepitella (Calamintha nepeta), a slightly less popular small-leafed mint, the wild version of which is known as nepetella. Only in Tuscany and Umbria is the nepitella used in cooking, mainly with mushrooms and stews.