mint
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Nepeta cataria identification

Hi!

I've bought some nepeta cataria (catmint) seeds from ebay and plant them. After three and a half weeks, the plants are about 10cm (4 inches) tall. They smell a lot like catnip, but when I compare their leaves with some photos of catnip found on the internet, they look a lot different. This is my first time growing nepeta cataria, so I don't know if leaves change their shape later in time, or is this some other plant? I'll add a picture of the plants.

Thank you very much for your help! :)

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applestar
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Definitely not catmint. ...maybe Rue? (Ruta graveolens)

mint
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applestar wrote:Definitely not catmint. ...maybe Rue? (Ruta graveolens)
Thought it wasn't catnip... Yes, it looks like rue, but I'm not sure, it smells just like catnip or some other mint, but I don't know how the rue smells?

Thanks! :)

PS: Maybe smell changes over time? From what I've read on other forums, rue has a bad smell, so I'm not really sure it's rue. Whatever it is, it probably already was in soil before the mint seeds, since I've planted quite a lot of them, but here's only 8 plants, so it's probably (hopefully) not a scam...

Susan W
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Not nepata or rue. Pic shows rue starts just upped from 4".
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Susan W
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More on pic of rue. That's anise hyssop in brown pot behind, with new babies showing up. They have a pretty purple tinged leaf, especially when young. The other is a zebrina hollyhock that wintered in that pot, and is begging for bigger digs.

Susan W
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Catnip. It has distinct leaves a bit fuzzy, and of course aroma.
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ButterflyLady29
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They remind me of chrysanthemums. They have an odor but don't smell like catmint.

mint
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Thank you all!

@ButterflyLady29

I agree with you, but I think my plants have a bit softer leaves than chrysantemums have. I'd really like to know, what those mysterious plants are :)



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