Check these out:

http://www.nhg.com/db/16493.htm

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51763/index.html

http://mulberrycreek.com/cgi-bin/herbman/search.cgi?query=Mentha%20X%20gentilis

Thank you, Katwomn, the webpages are very informative. I am, however, still confused over this plant.

You see, we already had a mint purchased from Richters that was identified as a "ginger mint." It bears more resemblance to the emerald and gold photo's while the new plant looks more like ginger mint.

1 Do all ginger mints have some variegation?

I think the plant is likely to change as it gets more room. We can easily break it into a few plants and give all of them something larger to grow in. Of course, that multiplies the risk that we will lose track of it amongst our small collection of mints.

What to do, what to do? - - I suppose leave them all with the name from the store for now and hope that some clarity comes thru before we get too far down the road. This certainly is a confusing family of plants.

2 Are there definitive works on mints with good clarity of drawings or photographs?

One problem with all of this is that I don't have a digital camera. Yeah, despite the "user name." When I made that choice, I was thinking about fingers and thumbs. (Since digit has a 35mm camera, doesn't that make it a "digital" camera? ;o)

This reminds me of my bird identification efforts. The difference is that I can see a mint up close. Haven't been able to justify shooting birds out of the sky just so I can identify them.

"Fine fruity, spicy flavor that combines well with any fruit, salmon, and Thai cooking." Certainly like that information!

Thank you.

Steve