Catmint

Catmint usually refers to:

the genus Anisomeles
the garden plant Nepeta × faassenii

It may also refer to

Anisomeles indica
Anisomeles malabarica, Malabar catmint
the plant genus Nepeta
- Nepeta cataria, catnip
- Nepeta nepetella, lesser catmint
- An Overview, environmental significance and cultivation of catmint
- Catmint: An Overview of the Genus NepetaThe main use of the common name Catmint lies in referring to a widely luxurious ornamental garden plant Nepeta faassenii, which is a sterile hybrid and has become the most favored one for its silvery-green foliage and a long blooming season of lavender-blue flowers. Furthermore, the name is also applied to various other species of the genus Nepeta, which is a collection of around 250 flowering plants that are members of the family Lamiaceae (the mint family) (Mabberley, 2017). Cultivation and Morphology Nepeta faassenii, or catmint, is a herb that grows completely, never dies out, and reaches the maximum height and width of 1 to 2 feet (30–60 cm) long and wide. The foliage is soft and plushy feeling, its smell is nice and it is often heart-shaped. Catmint is the biggest flower source for insects like bees and butterflies, as it can produce continually small whorls of two-lipped flowers from late spring till October (Armitage, 2008). The plant is an exceptionally tolerant one that can endure all types of soils, and light conditions, and be either completely sunlit or mildly shaded (Dirr, 2009). Besides, the smell is so strong that even rabbits and deer usually stay away from it. The Link Between Catnip and Catmint Catmint (N. faassenii) and Catnip (Nepeta cataria) are two different plants that belong to the same genus Nepeta and can be hardly separated. The two plants have the same name and are said to be cat-friendly because of their ability to draw in cats through a chemical that is nearly identical to one another. Catmint, one of the top pollinator plants, is the most contributing factor to garden ecology as it represents a sustainable gardening practice. The prolonged blooming period of the plant on the whole, the most favored Nepeta faassenii hybrid is particularly responsible for this (Source 3.4), which yields nectar and pollen all the way from late spring to fall for a total of nearly six months. It attracts not only honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies but also other insects which feed on the nectar of the huge catmint flowers and, therefore, all these will result in increased local biodiversity and pollination of neighboring crops (Source 1.2, 3.1)
- References
  - Armitage, A. M. (2008). Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on Their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes. Timber Press.
  - Chevallier, A. (2016). Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. Dorling Kindersley.
  - Dirr, M. A. (2009). Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Stipes Publishing.
  - Mabberley, D. J. (2017). Mabberley's Plant-book: A Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classifications, and Uses. Cambridge University Press.
  - Tucker, A. O., & Maciarello, M. J. (2005). Essential Oil of Catmint, Nepeta faassenii Bergmans ex Stearn (Lamiaceae). Journal of Essential Oil Research, 17(5), 472-473.

Catmint

See also