Catnip or Catmint: how to tell them apart?
Catnip and Catmint look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii
Both have an intense scent that attracts cats. Catnip has white flowers spotted with purple, whereas the cultivated catmint has denser, more decorative lavender-blue spikes.
🍃 Leaves
Oval, toothed, grey-green, downy, very aromatic
Grey, ovate, aromatic, giving off a characteristic smell that attracts cats
🌸 Flowers
Small spikes of spotted white-mauve flowers
Small, lavender-blue, grouped in light spikes all along the arching stems
🍎 Fruits
Small dry achenes
Small achene
🪵 Bark
Upright herbaceous stems, clump-forming habit
Perennial herbaceous clump, drooping stems
📏 Size
40 to 80 cm tall
30 to 45 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Gardens, banks, path edges, ordinary soils
Planted in sunny borders and beds, ordinary well-drained soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity to humans; attractant substance (nepetalactone) for cats, harmless to them in moderate use.
No known toxicity to humans; the smell of the foliage has a characteristic euphoric effect on cats
🔎 And from the Catmint side
Both have an intense scent that attracts cats. Catnip has white flowers spotted with purple, whereas the cultivated Nepeta × faassenii has denser, more decorative lavender-blue spikes.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.