Catnip
Nepeta curviflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Nepeta
Species
See text. Download high resolution version (768x1024, 116 KB)Catnip blossoms This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class of flowering plants. ... Families See text The Order Lamiales is a taxon in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. ... Genera Many, see text Ref: Delta 2002-07-22 Lamiaceae, or the Mint family, is a family of plants in about 180 genera and some 3,500 species. ...

Nepeta is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The members of this group are known as catnips or catmints due to its famed liking by cats—nepeta pleasantly stimulates cats' pheromonic receptor. The genus is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region east to mainland China. It is now common in North America as a weed.^[1] Most of the species are herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annuals. They have sturdy stems with opposite heart-shaped, green to grayish-green leaves. The flowers are white, blue, pink, or lilac and occur in several clusters toward the tip of the stems. The flowers are tubular shaped and are spotted with tiny purple dots. The scent of the plant has a stimulating effect on cats. For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Genera Many, see text Ref: Delta 2002-07-22 Lamiaceae, or the Mint family, is a family of plants in about 180 genera and some 3,500 species. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is a chemical that triggers an innate behavioural response in another member of the same species. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Yellow starthistle, a thistle native to southern Europe and the Middle East that is an invasive weed in parts of North America. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... Peas are an annual plant. ... For other uses, see Flower (disambiguation). ...

Also, oil isolated from catnip by steam distillation is a repellent against insects, in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches and termites.^[2][3] Research suggests that in a test tube, distilled nepetalactone, the active ingredient in catnip, repels mosquitoes 10 times more effectively than DEET, the active ingredient in most insect repellents,^[4][5] but that it is not as effective as a repellant on skin.^[6] N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, abbreviated DEET, is an insect repellent chemical. ...

Effects on cats

Catnip and catmints are mainly known for the behavioral effects they have on cats, particularly domestic cats. Both true catnip and Faassen's catnip have a sharp, biting taste, while the taste of giant catmint is bland. Approximately two thirds of cats are susceptible to the behavioral effects of catnip, as the phenomenon is hereditary. For example, most cats in Australia are not susceptible to catnip since Australian cats are drawn from a relatively closed genetic pool.^[7] The fact that it only elicits such a response in a proportion of cats—and that it is such a dramatic response—suggests that a genetic element is involved that is enriched in domesticated breeds.^{[citation needed]} “Feline” redirects here. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Nepeta × faassenii, a Catmint, is a hybrid of garden origin grown as a ground cover. ... For the scientific journal Heredity see Heredity (journal) Heredity (the adjective is hereditary) is the transfer of characters from parent to offspring, either through their genes or through the social institution called inheritance (for example, a title of nobility is passed from individual to individual according to relevant customs and...

When cats sense the bruised leaves or stems of catnip, they may roll over it, paw at it, chew it, lick it, leap about and purr, often salivating copiously. Some cats will also growl and meow. This reaction only lasts for a few minutes before the cat loses interest. It takes up to two hours for the cat to "reset" after which it can come back to the catnip and have the same response as before.^[8] Young kittens and older cats are less likely to have a reaction to catnip. Schematic of an electrophysiological recording of an action potential showing the various phases which occur as the wave passes a point on a cell membrane. ...

There is some disagreement about the susceptibility of lions and tigers to catnip. Some claim that all lions and tigers are affected by catnip,^[9] but others say lions are affected but not tigers.^[7] Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... Binomial name Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family, one of four big cats that belong to the Panthera genus. ...

Catnip contains nepetalactone, a terpene. Nepetalactone can be extracted from catnip using steam distillation.^[10] Cats detect it through their olfactory epithelium and not through their vomeronasal organ.^[11] At the olfactory epithelium, the nepetalactone is hypothesized to bind to one or more olfactory receptors where it probably mimicks a pheromone, such as the hypothetical feline facial pheromone. Structural formula of nepetalactone Nepetalactone is a lactone chemical compound first isolated in the plant catnip, Nepeta cataria (apparently named after the Italian town of Nepete). ... Many terpenes are derived from conifer resins, here a pine. ... Laboratory set-up for steam distillation Steam distillation is a special type of distillation (a separation process) for temperature sensitive materials like natural aromatic compounds. ... The olfactory epithelium is a specialized epithelial tissue inside the nasal cavity that is involved in smell. ... The vomeronasal organ (VNO) or Jacobsons organ is an auxiliary olfactory sense organ in some tetrapods. ... The olfactory epithelium is a specialized epithelial tissue inside the nasal cavity that is involved in smell. ... Olfactory receptors are a type of G protein-coupled receptor in olfactory receptor neurons. ... Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is a chemical that triggers an innate behavioural response in another member of the same species. ... Cat pheromones are pheromones that are used by cats and other felides for cat communication. ...

Other plants that also have this effect on cats include valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and plants that contain actinidine or dihydroactinidiolide (Smith, 2005). Binomial name L. & Maillefer Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae) is a hardy perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers. ... Actinidine is a chemical purported to be attractive to cats and is found in valerian roots. ... Dihydroactinidiolide is a volatile terpene with chemical formula C11H16O2 and CAS number 15356-74-8. ...

A domestic cat demonstrating the effects of catnip such as rolling, pawing, and frisking

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x905, 151 KB) [edit] Summary Zazou the cat demonstrating the effects of catnip: rolling, pawing, scampering, etc. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x905, 151 KB) [edit] Summary Zazou the cat demonstrating the effects of catnip: rolling, pawing, scampering, etc. ...

Species

Nepeta cataria (Catnip, True Catnip, Catmint or Field Balm) is a 50–100 cm tall herb resembling mint in appearance, with greyish-green leaves; the flowers are white, finely spotted with purple. It has been introduced to many countries, and is now a widespread weed in some areas, including the United States. A lemon-scented cultivar, N. cataria 'Citriodora' looks exactly like true catnip, but has the scent of lemons, and can be used like Lemon balm. A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... Herbs: basil Herbs (IPA: hÉ™()b, or É™b; see pronunciation differences) are seed-bearing plants without woody stems, which die down to the ground after flowering. ... “Mint” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Flower (disambiguation). ... Yellow starthistle, a thistle native to southern Europe and the Middle East that is an invasive weed in parts of North America. ... This article is about the fruit. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ... Binomial name Melissa officinalis Linnaeus Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), not to be confused with bee balm, Monarda species, is a perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. ...

Nepeta grandiflora (Giant Catmint or Caucasus Catmint) is lusher than true catnip, and has dark green leaves and dark blue, almost purple flowers.

Nepeta × faassenii (N. racemosa × N. nepetella; Faassen's Nepeta or Faassen's Catnip) is mostly grown as an ornamental plant. This hybrid is far smaller than either of above, and is almost a ground cover. It has greyish-green leaves and light purple flowers. Nepeta × faassenii, a Catmint, is a hybrid of garden origin grown as a ground cover. ... Petunia This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about a biological term. ...

Some Dracocephalum, Glechoma and Calamintha species were formerly classified in Nepeta. Dracocephalum is a genus of plant. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Calamintha officinalis Calamint (Calamintha officinalis) is a low_growing plant with a minty smell and lavender flowers. ...

Nepeta species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora albitarsella. A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ... Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with over 750 described species. ...

Nepeta curviflora flowers

Selected species

References

Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Flora Europaea
• Flora of China
• Flora of Nepal
• Liber Herbarum II page on Nepeta cataria
• Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET - reported at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society
• The Straight Dope: What is it with cats and catnip?
• What is in catnip anyway? Nepetalactone
• Catnip- Just for Cats?
• How does catnip work? HowStuffWorks, Inc. 1998-2005.
• Smith, L. Catnip. Penmarrie Cornish Rex. 1996-2005.
• Catnip Plants