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Collected on this day...

a weekly blog featuring specimens in the Carnegie Museum herbarium.
Each specimen has an important scientific and cultural story to tell.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation grant no. DBI 1612079 (2017-2019) and DBI 1801022 (2019-2022). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

1965: 53 years ago

12/7/2018

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Picture
​When in candy cane form, it is easy to forget where the flavor came from.  Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is actually a hybrid between two other mint species, water mint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata).  It is commonly grown for food or medicinal herb in gardens.  It is also well known to escape garden settings and spread aggressively.  Like other mints, this species is in the plant family Lamiaceae, which includes many strongly scented kitchen herbs.  Members of the mint family are well recognized by their unique flowers and characteristically square stems.
 
This peppermint specimen was collected on August 29, 1965 by Norman R. Farnsworth in an open field at Ranalli’s Drive-In, eight miles north of Etna off Route 8, outside of Pittsburgh, PA.
 
Farnsworth (1930-2011) received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, where he researched medicinal plants.  He was an influential professor and researcher in the field of pharmacognosy (study of medicinal drugs derived from plants).  He was a founding member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.
 
The Carnegie Museum herbarium includes 1,108 specimens collected by Farnsworth.  Each specimen is quickly recognizable, with an envelope attached to each sheet that includes a standard typed description of the results of chemical screenings he did on the specimen.
Picture
Picture
Hopefully you have some peppermint that is fresher than than this for your recipes this year!
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