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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Clinopodium nepeta (Lesser Calamint) |
Clinopodium nepeta (LAMIACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Clinopodium nepeta(L.) Kuntze
Published in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 515 (1891) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
Melissa nepeta L. Synonym that was used for long in Malta:
Calamuntha nepeta
(L.) Savi Full list of synonyms :
[Euro+Med]
[WFO]
[IPNI]
[POWO]
[Catalogue of Life]
[Worldplants.de]
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Plant Family : |
Lamiaceae Lindl. (The Mint Family) Previously included in Labiatae
36 species from the Lamiaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Lesser Calamint, Nepitella, Basil thyme |
Maltese name(s) : |
Kalaminta, Kammilta |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Hemicryptophyte ( perennial herbaceous plants with vegetative buds close to the ground ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
October – April |
Colour of Flowers: |
Pink |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Clinopodium: ()
nepeta: Alluding to the resemblance with plants of Nepeta (catmint) - another Genus in the mint family. The name may have connection with a type of ground ivy from Nepete, named for an Etruscan town which the plant was found in. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Sparsely to densely pubescent perennial 30-80 cm. Leaves 10-35(-45) x 8-25(-30) mm, broadly ovate, obtuse, subentire or shallowly to deeply crenate-serrate with up to 9 teeth on each side. Cymes 5- to 20-flowered; peduncle absent or up to 22 mm; secondary branches absent or up to 10 mm. Calyx 3-7 x 1-1.5(-2) mm, sparsely to densely puberulent or pubescent, the hairs in the, mouth exserted; upper teeth 0.5-1.5 mm, narrowly or broadly triangular; lower teeth 1-2 mm, puberulent, rarely with a few long cilia. Corolla (9-)10-15 mm, white or lilac. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Vegetated calcareous rocky ground
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Pre-desert scrub and high garigue. Frequently found in valleys sides and vegetated rocky places
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Distributional range |
S., W. & S.C. Europe, northwards to E. England.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, Austria and Liechtenstein, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Switzerland, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Russia and former USSR, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part), Introduced in Germany
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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Ag Al Bl Bu Co Cr Ga Gr Hs It Ju Ma Rf(CS) Sa Si Tcs Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K)
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
.jpg "Clinopodium nepeta / Lesser Calamint / Kalaminta")
