Nepeta nepetella

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.


 * Subspecies
 * 1) Nepeta nepetella subsp. aragonensis (Lam.) Nyman - Spain, Algeria, Morocco
 * 2) Nepeta nepetella subsp. laciniata (Willk.) Aedo - Sierra Nevada of southern Spain
 * 3) Nepeta nepetella subsp. murcica (Guirão ex Willk.) Aedo - Morocco, southern Spain
 * 4) Nepeta nepetella subsp. nepetella - Pyrenees, western Alps, + Apennines of Spain, France, Italy

Description
Nepeta nepetella can reach a height of 40 - 80 cm. This perennial very variable plant has usually green crenate leaves and produces in summer spikes with bluish-violet small flowers about 1 - 1.2 cm long.

Uses
Nepetella, as it is commonly called (other names include nepeta, nepitella) is used in Tuscan cooking, often for mushrooms and artichokes. Due to the difficulty in obtaining nepetella, many recipes have been rewritten to contain oregano and mint.