''Clinopodium nepeta'' (

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

: ''Calamintha nepeta''), known as lesser calamint, is a perennial herb of the

mint family The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, sav ...

known for having fragrant, grey-green, oregano like leaves with a pennyroyal smell. This plant commonly grows across the Mediterranean, North Africa and parts of Central Asia and has traditionally been used as a folk medicine and culinary herb. A recent study also found cultivars of lesser catmint that had the same compounds in

catnip ''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip and catmint, is a species of the genus ''Nepeta'' in the mint family, native plant, native to southern and eastern Europe, northern parts of the Middle East, and Central Asia. It is widely naturalis ...

that cause the euphoric effect in

cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

, known as

nepetalactone Nepetalactone is a name for multiple iridoid Structural analog, analog stereoisomers. Nepetalactones are produced by ''Nepeta cataria'' (catnip) and many other plants belonging to the genus ''Nepeta'', in which they protect these plants from herbiv ...

Description

Lesser calamint is a perennial shrub, forming a compact mound of shiny, green

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate climate, temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a ...

-like leaves. The flowers are lavender pink. The plant reaches a height of . The lesser calamint smells like a cross between mint and oregano. It attracts honeybees and butterflies. lesser cat mints are also often described as having a Lesser calamint usually grows in the summer, and well into the fall. It can become dormant in the winter months, then reblossom in spring. In fall, the flowers fall to the ground and will self-seed. Seedlings will flower in late August. Lesser calamint often grows wild, but can also be kept in pots. The average

life expectancy Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is ''life expectancy at birth'' (LEB, or in demographic notation ''e''0, where '' ...

of a plant is 3–4 years. It is susceptible to

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in 1753 as ''Melissa nepeta''. It was subsequently placed in '' Calamintha'', ''

Thymus The thymus (: thymuses or thymi) is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, T cells mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. The thymus ...

'', ''

Satureja ''Satureja'' is a genus of aromatic plants of the family (biology), family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to Southern Europe, southern and southeastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Historically, ...

'' and ''

Clinopodium ''Clinopodium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, in the subtribe Menthinae. ''Clinopodium'' belongs to a large and complex group of genera including many New World mints such as ''Hedeoma'', ''Monarda'', and ''Pycnanthemum ...

'', among other genera. The last of these is currently accepted by the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) was an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected p ...

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized: * ''Clinopodium nepeta'' subsp. ''nepeta'' – South Central and Southern Europe to Northern Iran * ''Clinopodium nepeta'' subsp. ''spruneri'' – Mediterranean to the Caucasus * ''Clinopodium nepeta'' subsp. ''subisodontum'' – East Central and Southeast Europe

Uses

Lesser calamint is commonly used as an herb in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

Corsican cuisine The cuisine of Corsica is the traditional cuisine of the island of Corsica. It is mainly based on the products of the island, and due to historical and geographical reasons, has much in common with Italian cuisine, and marginally with those o ...

, where it is called ''nepita'', ''mentuccia'', ''nipitella'' or ''nepitella''. In Rome, it is used in the preparation of the

Carciofi alla Romana ''Carciofi alla romana'' (; ) is a typical dish of Roman cuisine of pan braised artichokes. During spring-time in Rome, the dish is prepared in each household and is served in all restaurants. It represents one of the most famous artichoke dish ...

. In southern Italy, it is used in the making of a goat cheese called ''cassiedu'', giving the cheese a minty taste. Some sources state that ''

Nepeta nepetella ''Nepeta nepetella'', common name lesser cat-mint, is a low-growing species of catnip belonging to the family Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle ...

'' can be used in cooking like the lesser calamint. ''C. nepeta'' has a long history of use as an herbal medicine as a tea for cramps and the digestive tract. Additionally, hydrodistilled essential oil made from ''C. nepeta'' have seen use in alleviating symptoms of insomnia, headache, and respiratory illness Research has found that extracts of ''C. nepeta'', such as essential oils, have antifungal, insecticidal, and insect repellent properties. Moreover, it has recently been deiscovered that some cultivars of ''C. nepeta'' contain

, the compound in true

famous for the euphoric effect it has on cats, this may also contribute to insect repellent properties of extracts made from ''C. nepeta'' plants.

References

Herbs

nepeta ''Nepeta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Lamiaceae. The genus name, from Latin (“catnip”), is reportedly in reference to Nepi, Nepete, an ancient Etruscan cities, Etruscan city.

Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lamiaceae-stub