Agastache

Agastache
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Agastache
Gronov.
Synonyms[1]
  • Brittonastrum Briq.
  • Flessera Adans.
  • Dekinia M.Martens & Galeotti
  • Lophanthus Benth. 1829, not Adans. 1763 nor J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. 1775

Agastache (giant hyssop) is a genus of aromatic flowering herbaceous perennial plants in the family Lamiaceae, native to eastern Asia (one species) and North America (the rest).[1][2][3][4]

Most species are very upright, 0.5–3 m tall, with stiff, angular stems clothed in toothed-edged, lance shaped leaves ranging from 1–15 cm long and 0.5–11 cm broad depending on the species. Upright spikes of tubular, two-lipped flowers develop at the stem tips in summer. The flowers are usually white, pink, mauve, or purple, with the bracts that back the flowers being of the same or a slightly contrasting color. Leaf tips can be eaten and made into teas.

"Agastache" is Greek for "many spikes".[5]

Species[1][4]

Cultivation

They are easily grown in moist, well-drained soil and prefer a sunny position. Winter hardiness varies; the hardiest is A. foeniculum, hardy to USDA plant hardiness zone 1 in the north of its range; A. nepetoides, A. rugosa, A. scrophulariifolia and A. urticifolia are hardy to zones 3–5 in the northern parts of their ranges. Propagate from seed or cuttings. Popular cultivars include A. cana 'Heather Queen'. The cultivar 'Blue Fortune' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6]

Medicinal uses

Agastache rugosa has a history of use in Chinese herbology.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agastache.
  1. 1 2 3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  3. Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 106, 藿香 huo xiang, Agastache rugosa (Fischer & C. Meyer) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 511. 1891.
  4. 1 2 Altervista Flora of North America
  5. Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd ed, 2013, p. 72
  6. "RHS Plant Selector Agastache 'Blue Fortune' AGM / RHS Gardening". Apps.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
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