Lamiaceae FAMILY

Nepeta cataria

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Nepeta cataria is a herbaceous perennial plant with a rhizomatous rootstock; it produces a cluster of erect, branched stems, growing around 35 - 110cm tall, occasionally reaching 200cm[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 1548 Title Flora Iberica Publication Author Website http://www.floraiberica.es Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, the cultivar 'Citriodora' has lemon-scented leaves[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEurope - Spain, Portugal, France, Baltic States and Finland, east to West Siberia, through W. & C. Asia to China, Korea, Japan

HabitatRoadsides and near streams[ 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. ]. Hedgerows, borders of fields, dry banks and waste ground, especially on calcareous and gravelly soils[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. , 17 Title Flora of the British Isles. Publication Author Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. Publisher Cambridge University Press Year 1962 ISBN - Description A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures. ].