Nepeta Cataria

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

Nepeta cataria
    n 1: hairy aromatic perennial herb having whorls of small white
         purple-spotted flowers in a terminal spike; used in the
         past as a domestic remedy; strongly attractive to cats
         [syn: {catmint}, {catnip}, {Nepeta cataria}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Catnip \Cat"nip`\, Catmint \Cat"mint`\, n. (Bot.)
   A well-know plant of the genus {Nepeta} ({Nepeta Cataria}),
   somewhat like mint, having a string scent, and sometimes used
   in medicine. It is so called because cats have a peculiar
   fondness for it.
   [1913 Webster]

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