Leaf
Jean-Jacques Houdré, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii Bergmans ex Stearn
Also known as: Faassen's catmint, Nepeta
Family: Lamiaceae
30 to 45 cm tall
Planted in sunny borders and beds, ordinary well-drained soils
Flowering: May – September, very long flowering
Full sun
Very hardy, to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Like most catmints, this hybrid gives off a scent that provokes a characteristic euphoric reaction in domestic cats, which readily come to roll in it — a behaviour due to the nepetalactone contained in its foliage. 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.
🍃 Leaves
Grey, ovate, aromatic, giving off a characteristic smell that attracts cats
🌸 Flowers
Small, lavender-blue, grouped in light spikes all along the arching stems
🍎 Fruits
Small achene
🪵 Bark
Perennial herbaceous clump, drooping stems
🗺️ Distribution
Garden hybrid of Caucasian origin; very widely grown in France as a border perennial
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very long, nectar-rich flowering, one of the perennials most attractive to bees all summer
✂️ Horticultural uses
Very free-flowering border perennial, often used along the edge of a bed or vegetable garden, seeds itself little and reflowers if cut back after the first flush
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity to humans; the smell of the foliage has a characteristic euphoric effect on cats
⚠️ Look-alike species
Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
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.
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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