Nepeta nepetella, common name lesser cat-mint,[2] is a low-growing species of catnip belonging to the family Lamiaceae.

It is native to France, Spain, Italy, Algeria, and Morocco.

This perennial very variable plant has usually green crenate leaves and produces in summer spikes with bluish-violet small flowers about 1–1.2 centimetres (0.39–0.47 in) long.

[4][5] Nepetella, as it is commonly called (other names include nepeta, nepitella) is used in Tuscan cooking, often for mushrooms and artichokes.

[6][7] Due to the difficulty in obtaining nepetella, many recipes have been rewritten to contain oregano and mint.