Nepeta racemosa
Plant species in the mint family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nepeta racemosa, the dwarf catnip[2] or raceme catnip, syn. N. mussiniii,[3] is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Caucasus, Turkey and northern Iran. Growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall by 45 cm (18 in) wide, it is a herbaceous perennial with aromatic leaves and violet or lilac-blue flowers in summer.[4]
| Nepeta racemosa | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Nepeta |
| Species: | N. racemosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Nepeta racemosa | |
| Subspecies[1] | |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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This plant is one of several Nepeta species to be cultivated as an ornamental. It is particularly suitable for the front of a flower border or as groundcover. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit,[2][5] as has the cultivar ‘Walker’s Low’[6]
Nepetas are notable for their euphoric effect on some domestic cats. It is thought to be caused by the chemical nepetalactone which also has effects on some insects, repelling cockroaches and mosquitoes.
Taxonomy
Nepeta racemosa is classified in the genus Nepeta in the Lamiaceae. It has three subspecies. It was scientifically described and named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1785.[1]
Synonyms
Nepeta racemosa has 22 botanical synonyms of the species as a whole or one of its subspecies.[1][7][8][9]
| Name | Year | Rank | Syn. of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glechoma marifolia Kuntze | 1891 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Glechoma mussinii (Spreng.) Kuntze | 1891 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Glechoma racemosa (Lam.) Kuntze | 1891 | species | N. racemosa | ≡ hom. |
| Nepeta crassifolia Boiss. & Buhse | 1860 | species | subsp. crassifolia | ≡ hom. |
| Nepeta cyanotricha Tausch | 1831 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta diffusa Fisch. ex Spreng. | 1825 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta elbursensis Rech.f. | 1952 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta grandiflora var. marifolia (Kuntze) Kusn. | 1898 | variety | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta grandiflora var. mussinii (Spreng.) Kusn. | 1898 | variety | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta grandiflora var. racemosa (Lam.) Kusn. | 1898 | variety | N. racemosa | ≡ hom. |
| Nepeta hajastana Grossh. | 1944 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta haussknechtii Bornm. | 1899 | species | subsp. haussknechtii | = het. |
| Nepeta longiflora Sims | 1806 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta marifolia Boiss. & A.Huet | 1859 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. nom. illeg. |
| Nepeta mussinii Spreng. | 1805 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta noraschenica Grossh. | 1949 | species | subsp. haussknechtii | = het. |
| Nepeta obtusata E.Mey. | 1831 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta reichenbachiana Fisch. & C.A.Mey. | 1842 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta salviifolia Pers. | 1806 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta tenuicaulis Boiss. | 1879 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta transcaucasica Grossh. | 1944 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Nepeta wildenowiana Benth. | 1834 | species | subsp. racemosa | = het. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
Names
The Latin specific epithet racemosa means “having racemes of flowers”.[10]
