Calamint Lesser - Calamintha nepeta
Type: Perennial
Lesser Calamint, or Calamintha nepeta (also known as Nepitella), is a small perennial herb that rarely grows to more than 30cm tall.
Native of Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Lesser Calamint has oval toothed leaves all the way up the stem, and will produce pink to powder blue flowers on spiked stems betweeen July and September in a striking display.
The leaves are traditionally used to make a tea and are much stronger and more fragrant than calamint leaves. They have a strong pennyroyal-like scent (but unlike pennyroyal they do not contain any toxic substances). As a result they can be used as a flavouring in soups and stews and go particularly well with tomato and garlic-based sauces.