"Catmint" is not the same as catnip, although some people use the names
interchangeably. Catnip has heart-shaped, scalloped, slightly fuzzy leaves and
stalks of tiny white flowers that may have a blue or violet streak in them,
depending upon the soil. It smells only vaguely mint-like to humans (and has
only a mild mint-like taste in tea). "Catmint" has a more mint-like shiney
leaf, blue flowers, and a much more pronounced minty smell. It does not attract
cats as well as catnip, either.






We have wild catnip growing in our area of Wisconsin. Everybody always
calls it "catnip" although it is technically a mint because it has a
square stem. If my husband or I walk through it, when we take our
shoes off, the next thing you know, our cats are licking the shoes,
rubbing against the shoes, draping themselves over the shoes. And this
goes on for hours. They even get into fights over who gets possession
of the shoes. I'd hate to see what would happen if I actually brought
some of the plant inside.

LeAnn

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Christmas In Dairyland
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