[dit-n-ee] 
| 1. | a Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus, of the mint family, having spikes of purple flowers and formerly believed to have medicinal qualities. |
| 2. | Also called stone mint. a North American plant, Cunila origanoides, of the mint family, bearing clusters of purplish flowers. |
| 3. | gas plant. |
| a plant, Dictamnus albus, of the rue family, native to Eurasia, having clusters of white or reddish flowers and strong-smelling foliage that emits a flammable vapor. |
| dit·ta·ny (dĭt'n-ē) n. pl. dit·ta·nies
[Middle English ditaine, from Old French ditan, from Latin dictamnus, from Greek diktamnon, perhaps after Mount Diktē (Dhíkti), a peak in eastern Crete.] |
| gas plant n. A Eurasian plant (Dictamnus albus) having aromatic foliage and white flowers and emitting a flammable vapor. Also called burning bush, dittany, fraxinella. |
| stone mint n. An aromatic eastern North American plant (Cunila origanoides) of the mint family, having clusters of small purplish or white flowers. Also called dittany. [So called because it grows in rocky places.] |
dittany
any of several plants: European dittany (see gas plant), Maryland dittany (Cunila origanoides), and Crete dittany (Origanum dictamnus). The last two mentioned are of the mint family (Lamiaceae), order Lamiales. C. origanoides, common in dry woodlands and prairies, was once used as a remedy for fever and snakebite. It attains heights of 30 cm (1 foot) and has mint-scented leaves and clusters of rose-purple to white, tubular flowers. It and 14 other species of Cunila are native in North and South America.
Learn more about dittany with a free trial on Britannica.com.