CLINOPODIUM NEPETA

Family and Genus:- See- LABIATAE

Common Names:- Lesser calamint

Homotypic Synonyms:-

Meaning:- Clinopodium (Gr) Bed-foot (for the knob shaped appearance of the

inflorescence.

Nepeta (L) A name used by the Roman naturalist and philosopher

Pliny, for a plant from Nepi, Etruria, Italy.

General description:- Sparsely to densely softly hairy, very aromatic, perennial.

Stem:-

1) 30-80 cm.

Leaves:-

1) 10-35(-45) x 8-25(-30) mm, broadly ovate, obtuse, margins, slightly subentire or

crenate-serrate with up to 9 teeth on each side.

Flower:-

1) Cymes, 5- to 20-flowered.

2) Peduncle, absent or up to 22 mm; secondary branches absent or up to 10 mm.

3) Calyx, 3-7 ? 1-1·5(-2) mm, sparsely to densely puberulent or pubescent, the

hairs in the, mouth exserted.

a) upper teeth, 0·5-1·5 mm, narrowly or broadly triangular.

b) lower teeth, 1-2 mm, puberulent, rarely with a few long cilia.

4) Corolla, (9-)10-15 mm, white or lilac.

Fruit:-

1) Nutlets. 4, 1-seeded.

Key features:-

1) Calyx, lower teeth 1-2 mm, without or with very few long cilia; hairs in the mouth

somewhat exserted.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry rocky slopes, open woodland, scrubland vegetation , roadsides, dry

streambeds. 0-1200 (-1600) m.

Distribution:- Common in most of the Greek mainland, Peloponnisos and Ionian

Islands. - Widespread in S & C Europe and SW Asia Spain eastwards to Turkey-

not Cyprus. Somewhat scattered across Crete.

Flowering time:- (May-)July-Oct.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis & Steve Lenton