Author: navidcod 
Nepeta menthoides Boiss. & Buhse
Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Mohsen Nasiri, Masoumeh Remezani Yeganeh and Seyed Esmael Seyedian
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at August 2021
Scientific editors: Valiullah Mozaffarian and Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
The storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 15-20% eRH and store at -20 °C.
Germination requirements
The seeds of this species are non-dormant. Sterilize seeds before placing them on wet germination paper. Then germinate under an alternating temperature regime of 15/20 ºC 20ºC (the higher temperature for 16 hours of light and the lower one for 8 hours of dark).
Morphology
Fruit: Nut
Seed: Nutlets ovoid-ellipsoid, dorsal side convex, ventral side angular with indistinct rib, areole (whitish hilum at the base) bi-lobed. Surface indistinctly reticulate, slightly lustrous, brown with black spots.
Seed size: Length: 1.8-1.9 mm, width: 0.9-1.1 mm in an accession from Meshginshahr, Ardabil with 1000 seed weight 0.6 g, which was collected in 2005 by Imani, the cultivated sample was identified by Ziba Jamehzad with accession number 13301.
1000 seed weight: 0.6 g.
Biological features
Life form: Perennial, erect, or with curved stems.
Inflorescence and flower type and pollination mechanisms: Inflorescence spike-like with closely spaced verticillasters in the upper part and interrupted verticillasters in the lower part. Flowers hermaphrodite, zygomorphic, corolla purple, 11-16 mm in length. Plant monoecious, cross-pollinate. Pollination is carried out by insects.
Flowering Period: summer
Time of seed ripening: End of the summer
Seed dispersal methods: The seeds are displaced by weight.
Geographical distribution: Iran and Iraq. Typus from Iran, Sabalan Mountain.
Distribution in Iran: North West. Azarbaijan.
Taxonomy
Family: Lamiaceae
SUB Family: Nepetoideae
Genus: Nepeta
Species: menthoides
Persian name: Punehsa sabalani
References and Links
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with university of Tehran puplication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Harrington, J.F. 1972. Seed storage and longevity. In: Seed Biology. Vol. III. T. Kozlowski (ed.). Academic Press, New York, 145-245.
Hassan, T. and Dar, G. H. 2012. Nutlet micromorphology in selected species of Nepeta L. (Lamiaceae) in Kashmir Himalaya. Iranian Journal of Botany, 2: 262-269.
Jamzad, Z. 1391. Flora of Iran, No. 76: Lamiaceae. Agricultural Research, Education and Promotion Organization, Research Institute for Forests and Rangelands of Iran, Tehran, 1066 p.
Jamzad, Z., Ingrouille, M and Simmonds, M. 2003. Three new species of Nepeta (Lamiaceae) from Iran. Taxon, 52: 93-98.
Kaya, A. and Dirmenci, T. 2008. Nutlet surface micromorphology of the genus Nepeta L. (Lamiaceae) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Botany, 32. 103-112.
Mozaffarian, V. 2012. A Pictorial Dictionary of Botany. Farhange Moaser publisher, 1088 pp.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian Plants Names. Moaser Publisher, Tehran Farhang, 671 pp.
Naghibi, F. 2005. Labiatea family in folk medicine in Iran from ethnobotancy to pharmacology. Iranian Journal of pharmaceutical Research, 2: 63-79.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
