''Teucrium marum'', commonly known as cat thyme or kitty crack, is a species of

germander ''Teucrium'' is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged in op ...

. Its small, oval leaves give it a thyme-like appearance, but the musty scent is quite unlike the delicate aroma of thyme. Cat thyme is a mounding, tender

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

with grey-green leaves tipped by fragrant pink flowers in summer. ''Teucrium marum'' is native to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the Western

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

Description

''Teucrium marum'' has oval leaves, broader at the base, downy beneath, with uncut margins. It is in leaf all year. The flowers, appearing between July and September in the northern hemisphere, are in one-sided spikes, the corollas are crimson in color. The leaves and younger branches when fresh, on being rubbed emit a volatile, pungent, aromatic smell, which excites sneezing, but in taste they are somewhat bitter, accompanied with a sensation of heat. ''Teucrium marum'' will live through the winter in the open, on a dry soil and in a good situation, when the frosts are not severe, though it is frequently killed in hard winters if unprotected by mats or other covering. Older plants can shrub 3 or 4 feet high if grown in a mild climate. ''Teucrium marum'' has a similar effect on cats to

catnip ''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip, catswort, catwort, and catmint, is a species of the genus '' Nepeta'' in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of China. It is widely ...

Taxonomy

''Teucrium mare'' is part of a complex of three subspecies : * ''T. marum'' subsp. ''marum'' * ''T. marum'' subsp. ''occidentale'' * ''T. marum'' subsp. ''drosocalyx'' Quantitative and qualitative differences in the volatile components within and between taxa have been found.

References

Plants for a future

Volatile components variation in the Teucrium marum complex (Lamiaceae) from the Balearic Island
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2701046

marum Marum () is a town and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. The municipality was merged into the municipality of Westerkwartier on 1 January 2019. History Marum is located in the peat area, and was an agricultural village. It ...

Plants described in 1753 Cat attractants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus