Nepeta racemosa, the dwarf catnip or raceme catnip, syn. N. mussiniii, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to the Caucasus, Turkey and northern Iran. Growing to tall by wide, it is a herbaceous perennial with aromatic leaves and violet or lilac-blue flowers in summer.
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, as has the cultivar ‘Walker’s Low’
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.
Synonyms Nepeta racemosa has botanical synonyms of the species as a whole or one of its subspecies.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Syn. of Notes Glechoma marifolia 1891 species subsp. racemosa = het. Glechoma mussinii 1891 species subsp. racemosa = het. Glechoma racemosa 1891 species N. racemosa ≡ hom. Nepeta crassifolia 1860 species subsp. crassifolia ≡ hom. Nepeta cyanotricha 1831 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta diffusa 1825 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta elbursensis 1952 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta grandiflora var. marifolia 1898 variety subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta grandiflora var. mussinii 1898 variety subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta grandiflora var. racemosa 1898 variety N. racemosa ≡ hom. Nepeta hajastana 1944 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta haussknechtii 1899 species subsp. haussknechtii = het. Nepeta longiflora 1806 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta marifolia 1859 species subsp. racemosa = het. nom. illeg. Nepeta mussinii 1805 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta noraschenica 1949 species subsp. haussknechtii = het. Nepeta obtusata 1831 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta reichenbachiana 1842 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta salviifolia 1806 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta tenuicaulis 1879 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta transcaucasica 1944 species subsp. racemosa = het. Nepeta wildenowiana 1834 species subsp. racemosa = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Names The Latin specific epithet racemosa means “having racemes of flowers”.
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