Calamintha nepeta
Encyclopedia
Lesser Calamint is a member of the Mint family, and is used in Italian cuisine
where it is called mentuccia, nipitella or nepitella.
-like leaves which become covered with lavender pink flowers to a height of 18 inches. The Lesser Calamint plant smells like a cross between mint, and oregano, and can attract butterflies. Lesser Calamint usually grows in the Summer, and well into the Fall. This plant needs not to be replanted year after year, as it can become dormant in the winter months, then reblossom in the spring. Furthermore, in the Fall, the plant's flowers, which contain seeds, fall to the ground, and will "plant themselves," therefore making a new plant blossom in the Spring. These flowers will start to appear in late August. Lesser Calamint grows wildly, but can be planted in pots, for convenience. The life expectancy
for an average Lesser Calamint plant is about 3–4 years. The only problem with this plant is that a powdery mildew
might occur on the plant.
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
where it is called mentuccia, nipitella or nepitella.
Growth
Lesser Calamint grows as a beautiful perennial shrub for the herbal border forming a compact mound of shiny, green oreganoOregano
Oregano – scientifically named Origanum vulgare by Carolus Linnaeus – is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . It is native to warm-temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall,...
-like leaves which become covered with lavender pink flowers to a height of 18 inches. The Lesser Calamint plant smells like a cross between mint, and oregano, and can attract butterflies. Lesser Calamint usually grows in the Summer, and well into the Fall. This plant needs not to be replanted year after year, as it can become dormant in the winter months, then reblossom in the spring. Furthermore, in the Fall, the plant's flowers, which contain seeds, fall to the ground, and will "plant themselves," therefore making a new plant blossom in the Spring. These flowers will start to appear in late August. Lesser Calamint grows wildly, but can be planted in pots, for convenience. The life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
for an average Lesser Calamint plant is about 3–4 years. The only problem with this plant is that a powdery mildew
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of fungi in the order Erysiphales. It is one of the easier diseases to spot, as its symptoms are quite distinctive. Infected plants display white powdery spots on the...
might occur on the plant.