CALAMINT

Calamint is a low-growing perennial with scented, toothed and slightly hairy leaves in opposite pairs. The lavender-to-bright-pink or magenta flowers with tubular two-lipped blos-soms are formed into loose whorls of flower fronds. They bloom in mid to late summer, many remaining through fall. Though calamint has a creeping rootstock or rhizomes, it does not spread uncontrollably like its relative, mint. It self-seeds, but not enough for it to be a problem. (Calaminta nepeta may be an exception.) The individual plants form mounds some-what similar to catmint and are very manageable. Calamint means “beautiful mint.” Like mint and catmint, it is in the Labiatae family. The leaves contain camphor-like essential oils. There are many species of calamint, many native to Europe and Asia. Some are also native to America. Calamints are a bit confusing to sort out because many varieties have not only many common names or misnomers, they often have multiple Latin names as well.

Plant Varieties and Descriptions

[Calamintha sylvatica, Calamintha ascendens, Calamintha sylvatica ascendens, Satureja ascendens, Satureja calamintha, Satureja calamintha officianalis, Calamintha officinalis, Calamintha baetica, Clinopodium menthifolium, common calamint, ascending wild basil, woodland calamint, wood calamint, basil thyme, mill mountain, mountain balm, mountain mint]

Native to Britain (where it is endangered) Europe and northern Africa. Described as 12-24 inches tall, this perennial grows in full sun or light dappled shade as on the edge of woodlands and has late summer lavender/pink flowers, mint-scented oval leaves, and is a good plant for alpine and rock gardens.

[Calamintha grandiflora, Clinopedium grandiflorum, Melissa grandiflora, Satureja grandiflora, large-flowered calamint, American calamint, mountain balm]

Scented, toothed, blue-green to gray to deep green, slightly hairy, toothed leaves and lilac to bright pink or magenta whorls of tubular two-lipped flowers which bloom in mid to late summer. The scent is described as camphor-like or tangerine-mint. (Cultivars include “Joy” and “Tellady.” Variegated cultivars include one with white speckled leaves and deep pink flowers and one with green-splashed gold leaves.) My variegated calamint has a grapefruit rather than a mint-y scent. Height is 18-24 inches, full sun (tolerates light shade), zones 5-9.

[Calamintha nepeta, Clinopedium calamintha calamintha, Clinopodium nepeta, Calamintha nepetoides, Calamintha nepeta subsp. Nepetoides, Satureja calamintha var. nepeta, Satureja nepeta, lesser calamint, field balm]

A British and European native, similar to common calamint but with grayer, smaller leaves (mine has dark green leaves) which have a pennyroyal-like fragrance and are more pungent than common calamint (C. sylvatica). Clouds of dainty, wispy, lavender flowers give the appearance of a whitish-blue haze. Cultivars of the subspecies Calamintha nepeta include “White Cloud” (aka “Montrose White”), “Blue Cloud”, “Alba” and “Gottlieb Friedkund.” A great front-of-the-border plant, it is 18-24 inches tall, 20-30 inches wide and does well in zones (5)6-9. Needs full sun; likes sandy, loamy soils and will grow in very alkaline soil. It blooms late summer through fall and self-seeds, so deadhead if you want to avoid an overabundance of seedlings.

[Clinopedium vulgar, Calamintha clinopedium, wild basil, dog mint, hedge basil, hedge calamint]
British native hardy to zone 7, with a scent somewhere between thyme and basil. Clusters of purple flowers bloom from July to September. Grows to 18 inches tall.

[Calamintha cretica, Cretan calamint, trailing calamint]
A groundcover that reaches 4-8 inches tall, has wide, fuzzy gray-green leaves and light pink/mauve flowers that bloom in mid-summer. Hardy in zones 6-9. Before it flowers it is sometimes confused with Dittany of Crete.

[Calamintha arkansana, Calamintha glabella var. angustifolia, Clinopodium glabrum, Hedeoma arkansana, Satureja arkansana, Arkansas mint, limestone calamint, limestone savory, Ozark calamint]
Found in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, this 6-inch perennial groundcover for zones 6a and warmer requires full sun. The red blooms flower in mid-summer, late summer and fall. It is a good plant for alpine and rock gardens.

[Clinopodium glabellum, Calamintha glabella, Cunila glabella, Satureja glabella, glade savory, limestone savory, low calamint, Niagara thyme, Ozark savory, Ozark calamint]
I suspect this may be the same as Calamintha arkansas.

[Acinos alpina, Calamintha alpinus, Satureja alpina, Clinopodium alpinum, Alpine calamint, rock thyme]
Spreading, short-lived perennial native to central and southern Europe, hardy in zones 5a-9. Blooms through the summer with violet to magenta 1-inch spikes, round leaves with pointed or blunt tips. Reaches a height of 4-12 inches. A good plant for alpine and rock gardens.

[Calamintha acinos, Acinos arvensis, Satureja acinos, Acinos thymoides, Clinopodium acinos/Thymus acinos L., basil thyme, mountain thyme, mother of thyme, spring savory]

A very fragrant herb similar to thyme but not as strong. Native to Britain and Europe, 6-12 inches in height. Grows in full sun and can grow in very alkaline soil. Hardy to zone 4.

[Clinopodium ashei, Ashe’s calamint or Ashe’s calamintha, Ashe’s savory]
Native to Florida and Georgia, this 18-24 inch plant with magenta flowers is considered endangered. Hardy in zones 7b-10b, full sun to partial shade.

[Clinopodium coccineum, Calamintha coccineum, Clinopodium macrocalyx, Clinopodium macrocalyx Small, Cunila coccinea, Satureja coccinea, scarlet calamint, southern calamint]
A 12-24 inch tall perennial/shrub which grows in full sun in zones 8a-9b. Has scarlet (dark red) to red or red-orange flowers and leathery-textured evergreen leaves.

[Clinopodium brownei, Browne’s savory]
Native to marshy environments along the Gulf Coast of the US, specifically from Texas through Florida.

[Clinopodium caroliniana, Clinopodium chandleri (San Miguel calamint), Clinopodium douglasii (Georgia calamint), Clinopodium gracile (slender wild basil), Clinopodium mimuloides (monkey-flower)]

Cultivation and Use in Landscape

Full sun (a few can tolerate a little shade). Well-drained soil (will tolerate poor soil). Many are frost hardy, zones 5-9. Calamint makes a good edging plant. Mature clumps may be divided in late spring. Cuttings for rooting may be taken in early summer. Seeds can be sown in spring or fall—germination may be erratic.

Medicinal Attributes

Calamint’s volatile oil includes pulegone, menthone, menthol and its ester, B-bisobolen, cineol, thymol. Its tripterpenes include calaminthadiol and ursolic acid.

Calamintha ascendens (C. sylvatica) and C. Nepeta have been used as an expectorant and diaphoretic (to induce sweating) for colds with fever and respiratory diseases. (Greek and Middle Age eras and PDR, 1998.) Leaf infusions have been used for coughs and cough syrup has been made from leaf infusions. Crushed fresh leaves (or the whole crushed plant) can be made into a soothing dressing/poultice for bruises and sprains. Crushed calamint leaves can be massaged into cramped muscles. A tea was used for infant colic and mild stomach disorders in the Middle Ages. Nicholas Culpeper (17th century) said a calamint tonic was useful for “all afflictions of the brain.”

Other Uses

Potpourri (scent remains when dried) and butterfly gardens (attracts butterflies and bees). Use dried leaves for a pepperminty tea, hot or iced. (Leaves should be dried slowly in warmth.*) Calamintha cretica can be used as a culinary herb in any savory dish that works with either mint or oregano. C. sylvatica has been used similarly and has a flavor described as a cross between mint and marjoram.* Rubbed into meat in Roman times “to keep it sweet” and used as a culinary herb in stews and roasts.*

*Not GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and some varieties may have abortifacient effects.

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