Taxon: Cantinoa americana (Aubl.) Harley & J. F. B. Pastore

Summary

Genus:

Cantinoa

Family:

Lamiaceae (alt. Labiatae)

Subfamily:

Nepetoideae

Tribe:

Ocimeae

Subtribe:

Hyptidinae

Nomen number:

466107

Place of publication:

Phytotaxa 58:9. 2012

Verified:

12/12/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

0 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System.

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Nepeta americana Aubl.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Hyptis spicigera Lam.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Harley, R. M. & J. F. B. Pastore. 2012. A generic revision and new combinations in the Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae), based on molecular and morphological evidence. Phytotaxa 58:1-55.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	note	seq	Citation
English	black-sesame		as Hyptis spicigera	1	Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2 Note: as Hyptis spicigera

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
2	Cultivated	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Burkina Faso			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		n.	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Sierra Leone			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Congo			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
4	Naturalized					widely natzd. in tropics	Harley, R. M. & J. F. B. Pastore. 2012. A generic revision and new combinations in the Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae), based on molecular and morphological evidence. Phytotaxa 58:1-55.
6	Other					exact native range obscure	Harley, R. M. & J. F. B. Pastore. 2012. A generic revision and new combinations in the Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae), based on molecular and morphological evidence. Phytotaxa 58:1-55.

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Sinaloa]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Morelos, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Peru

Cultivated
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Nigeria (n.), Sierra Leone

Naturalized (widely natzd. in tropics)
Other (exact native range obscure)

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Harley, R. M. & J. F. B. Pastore. 2012. A generic revision and new combinations in the Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae), based on molecular and morphological evidence. Phytotaxa 58:1-55.
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:774.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Food additives	flavoring	as Hyptis spicigera	Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. Note: as Hyptis spicigera
Materials	essential oils	as Hyptis spicigera	Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2 Note: as Hyptis spicigera
Weed			Harley, R. M. & J. F. B. Pastore. 2012. A generic revision and new combinations in the Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae), based on molecular and morphological evidence. Phytotaxa 58:1-55.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=466107. Accessed 6 November 2026.