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 Nyman - Spain, Algeria, Morocco
  2. Nepeta nepetella subsp. laciniata Aedo - Sierra Nevada of southern Spain
  3. Nepeta nepetella subsp. murcica 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. This perennial very variable plant has usually green crenate leaves and produces in summer spikes with bluish-violet small flowers about long.

Uses

Nepetella, as it is commonly called 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.