It is a short-livedperennialmint-family herb growing 30–100 cm (12–39 in) tall with square stems, grayish canescent leaves that vary in shape and have serrated edges, fragrant small bilabiate flowers arranged inraceme spikes, and produces small three-sidednutlets containing one to four seeds. It was described byCarl Linnaeus in 1753, with no subspecies but multiple botanical synonyms, and its name—derived frommedieval Latin—reflects its historical association withcats and various traditional names dating back tomedieval England.
Catnip is named for the intense attraction about two-thirds of cats have to the plant due to the terpenenepetalactone, which acts as a naturalinsect repellent and induces playful,euphoric behavior in cats. It is used in herbal teas for its sedative and relaxant properties; it isdrought-tolerant anddeer-resistant.
Nepeta cataria is a short-livedperennial that grows 30 to 100 cm (12 to 39 in) tall, usually with several stems.[2] Each of its stems is square in cross section, as typical of the mint family, and somewhat gray in color.[3] It is aherbaceous plant that regrows from ataproot.[2] It does not root deeply.[4] Older plants tend to have more branches with particularly healthy plants becoming mound shaped.[5]
The leaves arecanescent in appearance, white in color due to being covered in fine hairs, especially so on the lower side of the leaves.[2] They are attached in pairs to opposite sides of the stems.[6] Leaf shapes vary fromcordate (heart-shaped),deltoid (triangular), toovate (egg-shaped).[5] They are attached byleaf stems and have a length of 2 to 9 cm (0.8 to 3.5 in) and 0.6 to 6 cm (0.2 to 2.4 in) wide.[7] The edges of the leaves are coarselycrenate toserrate, having a wavy, rounded edge to have asymmetrical teeth like those of a saw that point forward.[2]
The flowers are in loose groups in aninflorescence. The lowest flowers are more widely spaced and at the end more tightly packed into aspike.[5] The inflorescences lie at the end of the branches and may be 2 to 8 cm (0.8 to 3.1 in) long, with inconspicuousbracts.[2] A single plant may produce several thousand flowers, but at any given time, less than 10% of them will be in full bloom.[8] The flowers themselves are somewhat small and inconspicuous,[9] but quite fragrant.[3] They are bilaterally symmetrical and measure 10 to 12 mm (0.39 to 0.47 in) long.[8] The petals are off-white to pink and usually dotted with purple-pink spots.[10] They arebilabiate with the upper lip having two lobes and the lower one much wider with a scalloped edge.[2]
The fruit is anutlet that is nearly triquetrous, three sided with sharp edges and concave sides, and overall shaped like an egg. They measure approximately 1.7 by 1 mm (0.067 by 0.039 in).[11] Each nutlet may contain between one and four seeds.[8] They are dark reddish-brown in color with two white spots near the base.[12]
Nepeta cataria was one of the many speciesdescribed byLinnaeus in 1753 in his landmark workSpecies Plantarum.[13] He had previously described it in 1738 asNepeta floribus interrupte spicatis pedunculatis (meaning"Nepeta with flowers in a stalked, interrupted spike"), before the commencement ofLinnaean taxonomy.[14] Catnip is classified in part ofNepeta in theLamiaceae, commonly known as the mintfamily.[15] It has nosubspecies orvarieties.[1]
The species namecataria means "of cats". It derives from the medieval Latinherba catti orherba cattaria used by medieval herbalists.[16] The Englishcommon namecatnip is first recorded in 1775 in the colony of Pennsylvania, but now has worldwide usage.[17] The variantcatnep was also coined in the United States around 1806, but never became common elsewhere and is now very rarely used.[18]
The first usage ofcatmint was in about 1300 in the formkattesminte. It continues to be used forNepeta cataria, though it is also used for other species in the genus and theNepeta as a genus.[19] Inmedieval English it was also calledcat-wort, but this ceased by about 1500.[20]
Another name with a medieval origin wasnep,neps, ornepe. Originating about 1475, it was more common but has become a regional name for catnip used inEast Anglia.[21][22]
In medieval England it was known by various names in botanical manuscripts. It was calledcalamentum minus andnasturcium mureligi.[23] It was also callednepeta or variants, but other species or genuses like the dead-nettles (Lamium) were also sometimes called this.[24] It was also sometimes calledcollocasia, but this was more often applied to horse-mints especiallyMentha longifolia.[25]
According toPlants of the World Online, the native range of catnip includes a large part of Eurasia.[1] In Europe it is certainly native to the south around the Mediterranean and in the east, but sources disagree on its native status in the north in countries like the Baltic Countries, Germany, the Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Around the Mediterranean it is identified as native in Portugal, Spain, France, Corsica, Italy, Switzerland, the former Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece. In the East it is native to Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, European Russia, and the Caucasus. It is generally agreed to be an introduced species in Scandinavia, Poland, and may also grow in Ireland.[1][26]
In Asia its range extends from Turkey into Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Eastward it continues to Iran and Pakistan and the western Himalayas, but no further into India. It is native to all of Central Asia including Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and also extends to western Siberia. Its native status in China is disputed as it also is in theRussian Far East, Nepal, Korea, and Japan.[1][26]
In Africa it may grow in Morocco, but this report is doubtful.[1] It also grows as introduced species on the island ofJava.[1] In Australia it has been reported in the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania.[27] It grows on both the north and south islands of New Zealand, having been introduced there in 1870.[28]
The plant isdrought-tolerant anddeer-resistant. It can be a repellent for certain insects, includingaphids andsquash bugs.[3] Catnip is best grown in full sunlight and grows as a loosely branching, low perennial.[33]
ThecultivarNepeta cataria 'Citriodora', also known aslemon catmint, is known for the strong lemon-scent of its leaves.[34]
Theiridoid that is deposited on cats who have rubbed themselves against the plants and scratched the surfaces of catnip andsilver vine (Actinidia polygama) leaves repels mosquitoes.[35] The compoundiridodial, an iridoid extracted from catnip oil, has been found to attractlacewings that eat aphids and mites.[36]
Nepetalactone is a mosquito andfly repellent.[37][38] Oil isolated from catnip by steam distillation is a repellent against insects, in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites.[39][40] Research suggests that, while it may be a more effective spatial repellant thanDEET,[41] it is not as effective asSS220 or DEET when used on human skin.[42]
Catnip has a history of use in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments such as stomach cramps, indigestion, fevers, hives, and nervous conditions. The plant has been consumed as atisane, juice,tincture, infusion, or poultice, and has also been smoked.[43] Its medicinal use has fallen out of favor with the development of modern medicine.[44]
Effects of catnip on most domestic cats include rolling, pawing, and frisking. For cats not biologically affected by catnip, other plants that may trigger a response includevalerian root and leaves,silver vine, andTatarian honeysuckle wood.
Catnip contains the feline attractantnepetalactone.N. cataria (and some other species within the genusNepeta) are known for theirbehavioral effects on the cat family, includingdomestic cats and other species.[44] Several tests showed thatleopards,cougars,servals, andlynxes often reacted strongly to catnip in a manner similar to domestic cats.Lions andtigers may react strongly as well, but they do not react consistently in the same fashion.[45][46][47][48]
With domestic cats,N. cataria is used as a recreational substance for the enjoyment of pet cats, and catnip and catnip-laced products designed for use with domesticated cats are available to consumers. Common behaviors cats display when they sense the bruised leaves or stems of catnip are rubbing on the plant, rolling on the ground, pawing at it, licking it, and chewing it. Consuming much of the plant is followed by drooling, sleepiness, anxiety, leaping about, andpurring.[49] Some cats growl,meow, scratch, or bite at the hand holding it.[50][51] The main response period after exposure is generally between 5 and 15 minutes, after whicholfactory fatigue usually sets in.[52] About one-third of cats are not affected by catnip.[44][53] The behavior ishereditary.[54]
A study published in January 2021 suggests that felines are specifically attracted to theiridoids nepetalactone andnepetalactol, present in catnip andsilver vine, respectively.[58]
Cats younger than six months might not exhibit behavioral change to catnip.[59] Up to a third of cats are genetically immune to catnip effects but may respond in a similar way to other plants such asvalerian (Valeriana officinalis) root and leaves, silver vine or matatabi (Actinidia polygama), and Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) wood.[60]
^Li, Xi-wen (李锡文); Hedge, Ian C. (1994). Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P. H. (eds.)."Nepeta cataria".Flora of China @ efloras.org.Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved15 December 2024.
^"Nepeta cataria L."Flora of New Zealand Series. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved16 December 2024.
^VASCAN (2022)."Nepeta cataria Linnaeus".Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Retrieved15 December 2024.
^Mahr, Susan."Lemon-scented Plants".Wisconsin Horticulture, Division of Extension. University of Wisconsin, Madison.Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved13 December 2024.
^Junwei J. Zhu, Christopher A. Dunlap, Robert W. Behle, Dennis R. Berkebile, Brian Wienhold. (2010). Repellency of a wax-based catnip-oil formulation against stable flies.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,58 (23): 12320–12326 (8 Nov 2010,doi:10.1021/jf102811k).
Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C. (1987).A Utah Flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs, No. 9 (First ed.). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University.JSTOR23377658.OCLC9986953694. Retrieved15 December 2024.
Hart, Benjamin L.; Leedy, Mitzi G. (July 1985). "Analysis of the catnip reaction: mediation by olfactory system, not vomeronasal organ".Behavioral and Neural Biology.44 (1):38–46.doi:10.1016/S0163-1047(85)91151-3.PMID3834921.
Khan, M. A.;Cameron, Mary M.; Loza-Reyes, E. (May 2012). "Interference in foraging behaviour of European and American house dust mitesDermatophagoides pteronyssinus andDermatophagoides farinae (Acari: Pyroglyphidae) by catmint,Nepeta cataria (Lamiaceae)".Experimental and Applied Acarology.57 (1):65–74.doi:10.1007/s10493-012-9532-2.PMID22382713.S2CID17494631.
