VARIABILITY OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF WILD SPECIES <i>MENTHA</i>
We studied the biological characteristics of species of wild mint. The study was conducted during 2010- 2012 years. It has been studied 28 wild forms mint belonging to three types of M. longifolia (L.) Nathh., M. spicata L. and M. crispa L. Collection of plant material was carried out in four physiographic regions of the Crimea: Prisivashskoy semidesert region, typically steppe plain area, the Piedmont region and the south coastal sub Mediterranean. Revealing onsiderable variability of morphological traits of wild species of the genus Mentha different geographic origin grown in the conditions of a foothill Crimea. It has been shown that members of the same species, but from different habitats for responding to different environmental conditions. The variability of the studied morphological traits suggests the presence of not only chemical but also morphological variability, indicating that the genetic heterogeneity of the species.