Calamintha nepeta
| Calamintha nepeta | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Calamintha nepeta (common name: lesser calamint)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. It usually germinates in 2 weeks at 21°c[1]. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and, if they grow sufficiently, plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer otherwise wait until the following spring.
Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be planted direct into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are well rooted before planting them out in the summer.
Basal cuttings in May or June. They should be rooted in a sandy compost[2]. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained dry to moist neutral to alkaline soil and a warm sunny position[3][4].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[5].
This species is very closely related to C. sylvatica, and is considered to be no more than a sub-species by some botanists[6].
A very good bee plant[5].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south from France and S. Russia to N. Africa and to Iran in W. Asia.
Habitat: Dry banks, usually on calcareous soils[7].
Edibility: The leaves have a strong pennyroyal-like fragrance and are more pungent than calamint (C. sylvatica)[8]. They can be used as a flavouring[8].
A sweet and aromatic herb tea is made from the leaves[3].
Medicinal: Lesser calamint was commonly used as a medicinal herb in medieval times, though is little used by modern herbalists[4]. It is sometimes cultivated as a medicinal herb for household use. The whole plant is aromatic, diaphoretic, expectorant, febrifuge and stomachic[6][9]. The leaves are harvested in July as the plant comes into flower and are dried for later use[6]. An infusion is beneficial in cases of flatulent colic and weaknesses of the stomach[6], it is also used to treat depression, insomnia and painful menstruation[4]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women since in excess it can cause a miscarriage[4].
Pollinators: Bees, insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Satureia nepeta.
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.