Mentha piperita, commonly known as peppermint, is a vigorous, aromatic perennial herb valued for its cooling fragrance, culinary uses, and medicinal properties, forming dense colonies through spreading underground rhizomes that allow it to naturalize readily in moist soils. Mature plants typically reach 12–36 inches tall with a similar spread, producing square, reddish-tinged stems characteristic of the mint family. The leaves are 1½–3½ inches long and about ½–1½ inches wide, oval to lance-shaped with sharply serrated edges and a slightly wrinkled surface, often dark green with purplish veins. In summer, peppermint sends up slender flowering spikes about 2–4 inches long, composed of many tiny tubular blossoms in shades of pale lavender to soft pink, each flower roughly ¼ inch long, which attract bees and other pollinators. The plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers consistently moist, rich soil, performing well along garden borders, in herb beds, or in containers to control its spread. Its essential oil glands, concentrated in the foliage, produce the high menthol content that gives peppermint its intense flavor and scent, making it one of the most widely cultivated mints for teas, confectionery, and herbal remedies.