Common name: Catmint, Catnip
Nepeta cataria L. APNI*
Description: Herb to 80 cm high, moderately branched, mainly from base, densely hairy; hairs simple or rarely stellate.
Leaves with lamina ovate to ± triangular, 2–6.5 cm long, 1–4 cm wide; apex usually acute; base cordate; margins coarsely to finely toothed or rarely lobed; petiole 0.5–2.5 cm long.
Calyx 14-veined, 5–7 mm long; lobes a third the length of tube, lower lobes slighter shorter than upper ones. Corolla 7–10 mm long, white to pale purple with reddish purple markings; lower lip scarcely longer than tube, coarsely crenate to lobed.
Flowering: January
Distribution and occurrence: Often persists on old garden sites; possibly naturalized south from the Sydney district. Native of S & E Eur.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *ST, *CWS
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas. *S.A.
Text by B. J. Conn Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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