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Agastache
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Agastache Gronov.
Species
See text

Agastache, is a genus of 9–12 species of perennial herbs in the family Lamiaceae, native to eastern Asia (one species) and North America (the rest).

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.

Species

• Agastache aurantiaca. Orange Hummingbird Mint. Mexico, SW USA (Arizona, New Mexico).
• Agastache breviflora. TransPecos giant hyssop. Northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora), SW USA (Arizona).
• Agastache cana. Texas Hummingbird Mint. SW USA (New Mexico, western Texas).
• Agastache foeniculum. Giant Hyssop. From arctic Canada to Colorado and Wisconsin.
• Agastache mexicana. Mexican Giant Hyssop. Central Mexico.
• Agastache nepetoides. Eastern North America from southern Ontario and southern Quebec south to Georgia.
• Agastache pallida (syn. A. barberi). Northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora), southwestern USA (Arizona).

An Agastache rupestris.

• Agastache pallidiflora. Southwestern USA (New Mexico, western Texas).
• Agastache pringlei. Northern Mexico (Chihuahua), southwestern USA (New Mexico).
• Agastache rugosa. Korean Mint. Southeastern Russia (Primoriye), Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam.
• Agastache rupestris. Licorice Mint. Arizona, New Mexico.
• Agastache scrophulariifolia. Eastern North America from southern Ontario south to Georgia.
• Agastache wrightii. Southwestern USA (Arizona, New Mexico).
• Agastache urticifolia. Western North America from British Columbia south to California and Nevada.

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.

Agastache rugosa has a history of use in Chinese herbology.

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Agastache
• Flora of China: Agastache
• Missouriplants: detailed description and photos of A. nepetoides
• The PLANTS Database: Agastache wrightii