Common Name:

General Information

Nepeta tuberosa is a herbaceous perennial plant, sometimes producing tubers.; the unbranched stems usually grow around 30 - 100cm tall, occasionally to 160cm[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Western Mediterranean - Portugal, Spain, Sicily, Morocco, Algeria

Habitat

Clearings of pine, juniper and holm oak groves, scrub, roadsides, meadows, nitrophilous grasslands, in all kinds of substrates; at elevations from 800 - 1,800 metres, sometimes descending to near sea level[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Nepeta species generally grow best in a sunny position and a well-drained soil. Many are found in poor soils in the wild, and have a bushier growth habit in more fertile soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is used in traditional medicine as a vulnerary in poultices, as a treatment against hysteria, and also against spasms of the respiratory and digestive tracts[]

The aerial parts of the plant, crushed then extracted with methanol and applied in the form of a suspension with5% gum Arabic, has shown a strong peripheral analgesic activity, that can give good protection against abdominal cramps. This activity could also be accompanied by an antiinflammatory power[].
Tests have shown that the extracts are not toxic at least up to therapeutic dose levels of 120mg/kg[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn, in situ if possible. Germination of spring sown seed can be erratic[]. The seed is best sown in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division of clumps in the autumn or spring, when the plant is dormant or just coming into growth[].
Stem tip or softwood cuttings can be taken in the spring or early summer[].