| Lesser calamint | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Clinopodium |
| Species: | C. nepeta |
| Binomial name | |
| Clinopodium nepeta | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Clinopodium nepeta (synonym: Calamintha nepeta), known as lesser calamint, [2] is a perennial herb of the mint family.
Lesser calamint is a perennial shrub, forming a compact mound of shiny, green oregano-like leaves. The flowers are lavender pink. The plant reaches a height of 18 inches (46 cm). [3] The lesser calamint smells like a cross between mint and oregano. It attracts honeybees and butterflies. [4] 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. [4] Lesser calamint often grows wild, but can also be kept in pots. The average life expectancy of a plant is 3–4 years. It is susceptible to powdery mildew. [4]
The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Melissa nepeta. It was subsequently placed in Calamintha , Thymus , Satureja and Clinopodium , among other genera. The last of these is currently accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. [1]
Three subspecies are recognized: [1]
Lesser calamint is commonly used as an herb in the Italian and Corsican cuisine, where it is called nepita, mentuccia, nipitella or nepitella. In Rome, it is used in the preparation of the Carciofi alla Romana. In southern Italy, it is used in the making of a goat cheese called cassiedu, giving the cheese a minty taste. [5]
Some sources state that Nepeta nepetella can be used in cooking like the lesser calamint. [6]
It's used to aromatize boiled chestnuts along with other herbs in Galicia, Northwest Spain.
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, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees, or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as Salvia hispanica (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as Plectranthus edulis, Plectranthus esculentus, Plectranthus rotundifolius, and Stachys affinis. Many are also grown ornamentally, notably coleus, Plectranthus, and many Salvia species and hybrids.
Mentha, also known as mint, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization occurs naturally where some species' ranges overlap. Many hybrids and cultivars are known.
Oregano 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 Northern Hemisphere.
Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included in Satureja, but they have all been moved to other genera. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.
Mentha suaveolens, the apple mint, pineapple mint, woolly mint or round-leafed mint, is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to southern and western Europe including the Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous, upright perennial plant that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb or for ground cover.
Galium verum is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kamchatka. It is naturalized in Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada, and the northern half of the United States.
Clinopodium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is in the tribe Mentheae of the subfamily Nepetoideae, but little else can be said with certainty about its phylogenetic position.
Clinopodium grandiflorum, the large-flowered calamint, showy calamint or mint savory, is a species of ornamental plant.
Origanum syriacum; syn. Majorana syriaca, bible hyssop, Biblical-hyssop, Lebanese oregano or Syrian oregano, is an aromatic perennial herb in the mint family, Lamiaceae.
Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip, catswort, catwort, and catmint, is a species of the genus Nepeta in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, parts of Mongolia, and parts of China. It is widely naturalized in northern Europe, New Zealand, and North America. The common name catmint can also refer to the genus as a whole.
Clinopodium nepeta subsp. nepeta is a subspecies of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Europe and eastwards to Turkey, Lebanon and Syria, Iran and the Transcaucasus. It has been introduced elsewhere in the world, including parts of North America and New Zealand.
Stephensia brunnichella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe and east into the Palearctic.
Clinopodium ashei is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Ashe's savory and Ashe's calamint. It is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States.
Clinopodium dentatum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names toothed savory and Florida calamint. It is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States.
Nepeta italica subsp. troodi, synonym Nepeta troodi, commonly known as Troodos cat-mint is a suberect, aromatic, perennial herb, 20–50 cm high, with a woody base and hairy tetragonal shoots. The leaves are opposite, simple, serrate, cordate at the base, deltoid, with an obtuse apex, 1-4 x 0.6–2 cm, petiolate, densely hairy. The flowers are arranged in many flowered verticillasters, and are zygomorphic, with a white corolla white and a dotted purple lower lip. It flowers June to October. The fruit is composed of 4 nutlets.
Nepeta nepetella, common name lesser cat-mint, is a low-growing species of catnip belonging to the family Lamiaceae. It is native to France, Spain, Italy, Algeria, and Morocco.
Crepis vesicaria is a European species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae with the common name beaked hawk's-beard. It is native to the Western and Southern Europe from Ireland and Portugal east as far as Germany, Austria, and Greece. It became naturalized in scattered locations in North America.
Clinopodium menthifolium, commonly known as the wood calamint or woodland calamint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is found throughout southern and central Europe from the United Kingdom and east as far as temperate parts of Asia, and as south as North Africa. It grows up to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in elevation.
The scientific name Satureja gilliesii has been used for two different species of plants:
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