LABIATE. LXVIII. NEPETA. 



807 



with hoary pubescence ; leaves petiolate, ovate, acute, deeply 

 crenated, cordate at the base, green above, but clothed with 

 hoary tomentum beneath ; racemes a little branched ; whorls 

 dense, many-flowered ; bracteas scarcely longer than the pedi- 

 cels ; calyx ovate, pubescent, a little incurved, with an oblique 

 mouth and lanceolate-subulate rather spreading teeth ; corolla 

 one half longer than the calyx. If. . H. Native almost through- 

 out the whole of Europe, and Middle Asia, on walls, in hedges, 

 and in waste places ; plentiful in Britain. Smith, engl. bot. t. 

 137. Fl. dan. t. 580. Cataria vulgaris, Moench. meth. p. 387. 

 N. vulgaris, Lam. fl. fr. 2. p. 398. N. citriodora, Becker, fl. 

 francof. p. 218. N. minor, Mill. diet. no. 2. N. Americana, 

 Moench. ex Steud. nom. bot. p. 552. ? Sabb. hort. rom. 3. t. 

 80. Lob. icon. 511. f. 1. Pubescent or tomentosely canescent. 

 Leaves lj inch long. Lower cymes on short peduncles. Co- 

 rollas white, with a tinge of red, spotted with purple. The whole 

 plant has a strong scent between mint and pennyroyal. It is 

 called cat-mint, because cats are very fond of it, especially when 

 it is withered, when they will roll themselves on it, tear it to 

 pieces, and chew it with great pleasure. Ray observes, that 

 plants, which he transplanted from the field into his garden, were 

 always destroyed by cats, unless he protected them with thorns 

 till they had taken root and came into flower, but that they never 

 meddled with plants raised from seed ; hence the old saying : 

 " if you set it the cats will eat it ; if you sow it the cats don't 

 know it." Mr. Miller has confirmed this by his own experience, 

 having frequently set a plant from another part of the garden 

 within two feet of others which came up from seed, when 

 the former was torn in pieces and destroyed by the cats, whilst 

 the latter remained untouched. The true reason of this differ- 

 ence is assigned by Ray ; that cats are fond of it in a withering 

 state, or when the peculiar scent of the plant is excited by being 

 handled or bruised in gathering or transplanting. 



An infusion of Cat-mint is deemed a specific in chlorotic 

 cases. Two ounces of the expressed juice may be given for a 

 dose. Sheep are said to eat it ; but all other domestic animals 

 are said to refuse it. 



Var. /3, Candida (Benth. lab. p. 477.) leaves deeply crenated, 

 pale above and white beneath. If. . H. 



Cat-mint, Common. Fl. July, Sept. Britain. PI. 2 to 4 

 feet. 



35 N. NEPETE'LLA (Lin. spec. p. 797. ? Benth. lab. p. 477.) 

 plant erect, pubescent, or clothed with hoary tomentum ; leaves 

 on short petioles, lanceolate, crenated, rounded or cordate at the 

 base, clothed with hoary pubescence or tomentum on both sur- 

 faces ; racemes many-flowered, nearly simple ; bracteas scarcely 

 longer than the pedicels; calyx tubular, incurved, with an oblique 

 mouth ; corolla twice as long as the calyx. I/ . H. Native of 

 the South of Europe, especially on the mountains ; as of Spain, 

 Provence, Switzerland ; Italy, from Piedmont and Liguria to 

 Naples. This is a very variable plant, especially in gardens. 

 Corollas usually twice the size of those of N. Cataria, white, 

 purplish, or blue. 



J'ar. a, major (Benth. lab. p. 477.) raceme elongated, many- 

 flowered ; flowers white or purplish, y. . H. Native of shady 

 places. N. Nepetella, All. ped. 1. p. 37. t. 2. f. 1. bad. Rchb. 

 icon. bot. eur. 3. p. 35. t. 261. Cataria Nepetella, Moench. 

 meth. p. 888. N. amethystina, Desf. ex Poir. suppl. 3. p. 206. 

 N. paniculata, Mill. diet. no. 4. Stems 3-4 feet high. Whorls 

 as in N. Cataria, large and dense, many-flowered, disposed in a 

 long raceme. 



Var. ft, humilis (Benth. lab. p. 478.) racemes short, dense ; 

 flowers white or purplish. "U. . H. Native in dry exposed 

 places. N. lanceolata, Lam. diet. 1. p. 710. Rchb. icon. bot. 

 eur. 6. p. 20. t. 536. N. angustifolia, Vahl, symb. 1. p. 41. 



N. graveolens, Vill. dauph. 2. p. 3G6. N. Arragonensis, Lam. 

 diet. 1. p. 703. Plant humble. Racemes 2-3 inches long. 



Var. y, incana (Benth. lab. p. 478.) leaves clothed with hoary 

 tomentum, and more wrinkled. l^.H. N. incana, Ait. hort. 

 kew. 2. p. 285. 



Small-Nepeta Cat-mint. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1728. PI. 1 

 to 4 feet. 



36 N. CYA'NEA (Stev. in mem. soc. nat. cur. mosq. 3. p. 265. 

 Benth. lab. p. 478.) ascending, humble, paniculately branched; 

 branches clothed with hoary tomentum ; leaves petiolate, small, 

 ovate or oblong, crenated, wrinkled, clothed with hoary tomen- 

 tum on both surfaces ; racemes numerous, short, secund ; brac- 

 teas very short ; calyx tubular, incurved, clothed with hoary to- 

 mentum ; corolla scarcely longer than the calyx : tube inclosed. 

 If.. H. Native of Eastern Caucasus, in gravelly places at the 

 Falls of Chodgal, Steven ; at the Falls of the Terek, and in 

 stony places near Nartzaua, C. A. Meyer. N. incana, Bieb. fl. 

 cauc. 2. p. 40. 3. p. 392. Rchb. icon. bot. eur. 4. t. 305. and 

 numerous other authors, but not of Aiton. N. acinifolia, Spreng. 

 pug. 1. p. 41. syst. 2. p. 727. N. mollissima, Tausch, in bot. 

 zeit. 1831. 1. p. 219.? Stems trichotomously panicled, as in N. 

 Ucranica, but the branches are terminated by short unilateral 

 racemules, not corymbs. Corollas small, blue or white. 



/Hue-flowered Cat-mint. PI. 1 foot. ? 



37 N. MEYE'RI (Benth. lab. p. 478.) plant humble, ascending; 

 branches finely pubescent ; leaves petiolate, ovate, obtuse, cre- 

 nated, cordate at the base, greenish on both surfaces, pubescent 

 beneath ; racemes nearly simple, many-flowered ; bracteas much 

 shorter than the calyxes ; calyx elongated, incurved, pubescent, 

 with an oblique mouth ; corollas scarcely half as long again as 

 the calyx, with an inclosed tube. Tf. . H. Native of Caucasus, 

 in dry, stony places on the Talusch mountains near Swant. N. 

 micrantha, Meyer, verz. pflanz. p. 91. but not of Bung. 

 An intermediate plant between A". Mussini and N. Cataria. Can 

 line leaves an inch long ; upper floral leaves minute. Corollas 

 like those of N. Cataria. 



Meyer's Cat-mint. PI. f to 1 foot. 



38 N. AGRE'STIS (Lois. nouv. not. 25. ? Benth. lab. p. 479.) 

 erect, almost glabrous ; leaves petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, deeply 

 toothed, subcordate at the base, nervosely wrinkled, green on 

 both surfaces ; racemes elongated, nearly simple ; bracteas 

 scarcely longer than the pedicels ; calyx elongated, incurved, 

 villous, with an oblique mouth ; corolla scarcely twice as long as 

 the calyx, having the tube shortly exserted, If. . M. Native of 

 Corsica and Spain, on Mount Urchillo, near Orcelia. Stem a little 

 branched, clammy. Leaves 5 to 1 inch long, rather clammy. 

 Calyx clammy, villous. Corollas white, a little larger than those 

 of N. Cataria. 



Field Cat-mint. PI. 2 feet. 



39 N. AZU'REA (R. Br. in append, to Salt, abyss. Benth. lab. 

 p. 479.) plant erect; leaves sessile, ovate or ovate-oblong, cre- 

 nated, subcordate at the base, wrinkled, canescent beneath ; ra- 

 cemes simple ; cymes nearly sessile ; whorls dense, the upper 

 ones subspicate ; bracteas minute ; calyx subovate, incurved, 

 pubescent, with an oblique mouth ; corolla twice as long as the 

 calyx. "H.. H. Native of Abyssinia, Salt. Stems finely tomen- 

 tose. Leaves green above. Corolla blue, with the tube a little 

 exserted, and attenuated at the base. 



^zure-flowered Cat-mint. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



40 N. RACEMOSA (Lin. spec. 1. p. 711.) plant erect, pubes- 

 cent ; leaves petiolate, ovate, obtuse, crenated, cordate at the 

 base, green and wrinkled above, and canescent beneath ; racemes 

 loose, nearly simple ; cymes almost sessile, or the lower ones are 

 pedunculate, few-flowered ; bracteas much shorter than the ca- 

 lyxes ; calyx elongated, incurved, clothed with soft wool, with 



