description
Catnip is a short-lived herbaceous perennial of the Lamiaceae or mint family.
This plant sends up square, erect and branched stems, 2 to 3 feet high, which
are very leafy and covered with a mealy down. The heart shaped, toothed leaves
are also covered with a soft, close down, especially on the under sides, which
are quite white with it, so that the whole plant has a hoary, grayish
appearance, as though it had had dust blown over it.
The flowers grow on short footstalks in dense whorls, which towards the summit
of the stem are so close as almost to form a spike. They are in bloom from July
to September. The individual flowers are small, the corollas two-lipped, and the
upper lip straight, of a whitish or pale pink color, dotted with red spots, the
anthers a deep red color. The calyx tube has fifteen ribs, a distinguishing
feature of the genus Nepeta, to which this species belongs.
common names & nomenclature
The common name catnip comes from the fascination that cats have for this
plant; they eat the leaves and are attracted to the scent.
Also known as:
catnip leaf, catnip, catswort, catmint, catnep
