Appearance

Growth form

It forms an upright clump with square stems and reaches about 1–3 ft (0.3–0.9 m) tall.

Leaves

Opposite, toothed green leaves release a licorice-like scent when crushed.

Flowers

Small purple flowers crowd into narrow upright spikes.

Flowering time

In U.S. gardens it blooms from midsummer into early fall.

Look-alikes

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• pollinator gardens
• sunny borders
• moist, well-drained beds

Range

The species is native to East Asia, including Korea and Japan. In the United States it is grown as a garden perennial rather than treated as a native wildflower.

Preferred conditions

Give it full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It grows in U.S. planting zones 4a–9b.

Connected species

Pollinators

The flowers attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators in U.S. gardens.

Pollinators

• hummingbirdsTrochilidae

  North Carolina Extension lists hummingbirds among the flower visitors in U.S. gardens.

Name and classification

About the name

Another U.S. native plant also goes by purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia), so check the scientific name.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed

Status

In Taiwan, it is listed as Near Threatened (NT).