Calamintha is a genus of plants that belongs to the family Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...

. Commonly called the calamints, there are about eight species in the genus (around 30 before revisions in taxonomy) which is native to the northern temperate regions of Europe, Asia and America.

Calamintha species are used as food plants by the larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

species including Coleophora albitarsella

Coleophora

Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...

.

Species

• Calamintha acinos - a synonym for Acinos arvensis
  Acinos arvensis
  Acinos arvensis, also known as the Basil thyme, is a species of plant of the genus Acinos.It is a perennial that usually grows about 8 inches high and spreads 12 inches. It prefers to grow in strong sunlight.The delicate scent of it is faintly reminiscent of thyme, giving it its common name....
  
  , also called basil thyme
• Calamintha alpina - a synonym for Acinos alpinus
  Acinos alpinus
  Rock thyme is a perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family. Synonyms include Calamintha alpina Lam., Thymus alpinus , and Satureja alpina . There are two subspecies of rock thyme: A. alpinus meriodionalis, with smaller flowers; and A. alpinus majoranifolius, which grows in smaller bunches...
  
  , the Alpine Calamint
• Calamintha ascendens - a synonym for Calamintha sylvatica
• Calamintha ashei
• Calamintha baetica - a synonym for Calamintha sylvatica
• Calamintha baumgarteni
• Calamintha chinensis - a synonym for Clinopodium chinense
• Calamintha clinopodium - a synonym for Clinopodium vulgare, the Wild Basil
  Basil
  Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the family Lamiaceae , sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries....
  
  
• Calamintha coccinea
• Calamintha dentata
• Calamintha exigua - a synonym for Acinos rotundifolius
• Calamintha grandiflora
  Calamintha grandiflora
  Large-flowered calamint is is a species of ornamental plant. It is also sometimes called Showy Calamint or Mint Savory.It can be used in cooking, and also has some medicinal uses.-External links:**...
  
  - Large-Flowered Calamint, an ornamental plant
  Ornamental plant
  Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
  
  .
• Calamintha graveolens - a synonym for Acinos rotundifolius
• Calamintha nepeta
  Calamintha nepeta
  Lesser Calamint is a member of the Mint family, and is used in Italian cuisine where it is called mentuccia, nipitella or nepitella.-Growth:...
  
  - Lesser Calamint,
• Calamintha nepetoides - a synonym for Calamintha nepeta
  • Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta
    Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta
    Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta is a subspecies of flowering plants in the Lamiaceae family.-References:*D Ristorcelli, F Tomi, J Casanova, .Essential oils of Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta and subsp. glandulosa from Corsica , Journal of essential oil research: JEOR ....
    
    
• Calamintha officinalis - a synonym for Calamintha sylvatica
• Calamintha sylvatica, Common Calamint, a low-growing plant with a minty smell and lavender flower
  Flower
  A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
  
  s. It prefers alkaline soil
  Soil
  Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
  
  . The leaves
  Leaf
  A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
  
   can be used to make tea
  Tea
  Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
  
  .
  • Calamintha sylvatica ascendens - an earlier name for Calamintha sylvatica
• Calamintha umbrosa - a synonym for Clinopodium umbrosum
• Calamintha vulgaris - a synonym for Clinopodium vulgare, The Wild Basil

Uses

Calamintha species are used in the popular Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

ern culinary blend called za'atar

Za'atar

Za'atar is a generic name for a family of related Middle Eastern herbs from the genera Origanum , Calamintha , Thymus vulgaris and Satureja . It is also the name for a condiment made from the dried herb, mixed together with sesame seeds, dried sumac, and often salt, as well as other spices...

.
Za'atar is a general name for any Middle Eastern herb from the genera Origanum

Origanum

Origanum is a genus of about 20 species of aromatic herbs in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to eastern Asia...

(oregano), Calamintha (calamint), Thymus

Thymus

The thymus is a specialized organ of the immune system. The thymus produces and "educates" T-lymphocytes , which are critical cells of the adaptive immune system....

(thyme) and Satureja (savory). It is also the name for a condiment

Condiment

A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...

 made from the dried herb(s), mixed together with sesame

Sesame

Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....

 seeds, dried sumac

Sumac

Sumac is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae. Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in Africa and North America....

, often salt

Salt

In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

, and other spices.