Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Nepeta italica in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 571.
today: The current name for this species is Nepeta italica L.
original Latin diagnosis
Nepeta floribus sessilibus verticillato-spicatis, bracteis lanceolatis longitudine calycis, foliis petiolatis.
English translation
Nepeta with flowers sessile [and] verticillate-spicate; with bracts lanceolate [and] with the length of the calyx; [and] with leaves petiolate.
| Nepeta | Nepeta |
| with flowers | floribus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun flos, floris |
| sessile | sessilibus - ablative plural masculine of group B adjective sessilis, -is, -e; modifies floribus |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| [with the inflorescence] verticillate-spicate; | verticillato-spicatis = verticillato- (combining form of group A adjective verticillatus, -a, -um) + spicatis (ablative plural masculine of group A adjective spicatus, -a, -um) ; modifies floribus |
| with bracts | bracteis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun bractea, -ae |
| lanceolate | lanceolatis - ablative plural feminine of group A adjective lanceolatus, -a, -um; modifies bracteis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with the length | longitudine - ablatice singular of third declension feminine noun longitudo, longitudinis |
| of the calyx; | calycis - genitive singular of second declension masculine noun calyx, calycis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with leaves | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, folii |
| petiolate. | petiolatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective petiolatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |