File:Catnip_flowers.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Nepeta cataria
Sign in to saveAlso known as catnip, catmint, catswort, cat-mint
Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip and catmint, is a species of the genus Nepeta in the mint family, native to southern and eastern Europe, northern parts of the Middle East, and Central Asia. 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.
OverviewAI-generated
Nepeta cataria L., commonly known as catnip, is a species within the family Lamiaceae. It belongs to the order Lamiales, class Magnoliopsida, and phylum Tracheophyta in the kingdom Plantae. The taxon is classified at the species rank.
The IUCN Red List assessed the species as Least Concern in 2013. Records from iDigBio indicate presence in the United States and Canada, with specimens held by institutions including RSA, OSU, CHSC, BHSC, and the University of Vermont. The species has 43,889 occurrences recorded in GBIF and 24,400 observations on iNaturalist.
Synthesized by Vinony from 32 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, iNaturalist, IUCN Red List, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Vinony's link graph records 310 inbound references to Nepeta cataria, and connects out to synonym, Cat and Carl Linnaeus.
It is catalogued under topics including Cat attractants, Flora of Central Asia and Flora of Eastern Europe.
Vinony links it to 57 Wikipedia language editions.
Species
Least ConcernCatnip
Nepeta cataria
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderLamiales
- FamilyLamiaceae
Common Name: catnip
via GBIF · IUCN · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 6,837
- With media
- 4,960
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Collections
- RSA, OSU, CHSC, BHSC, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, CAS
- Recorded in
- United States, Canada
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- perennial plant
- Parent taxon
- Nepeta
- Image
- Nepeta cataria Sturm24.jpg
- Has use
- anxiolytic
Show 11 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- taxon name
- Nepeta cataria
- Commons category
- Nepeta cataria
- Commons gallery
- Nepeta cataria
- taxon common name
- yerba los gatos
- taxon range
- China
- has fruit type
- nucule
- short name
- N. cataria
- taxon author citation
- L.
- regional conservation status
- Endangered status
via Wikidata · CC0
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- Description
- Taxonomy
- Synonyms
- Names
- Range and habitat
- Uses
- Cultivation
- Biological control
- As an insect repellent
- Effect of ingestion on humans
- Effect on felines
- References
- External links
Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip and catmint, is a species of the genus Nepeta in the mint family, native to southern and eastern Europe, northern parts of the Middle East, and Central Asia. 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.
It is a short-lived perennial mint-family herb growing tall with square stems, grayish canescent leaves that vary in shape and have serrated edges, fragrant small bilabiate flowers arranged in raceme spikes, and produces small three-sided nutlets containing one to four seeds. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, with no subspecies but multiple botanical synonyms, and its name—derived from medieval Latin—reflects its historical association with cats and various traditional names dating back to medieval England.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Nepeta cataria” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.