Blue Giant Hyssop, Fragrant Giant Hyssop, Anise Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Blue Giant Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum (Pursh) Kuntze	Mint	Upland	Early to Late Summer
Other names and notes	(Giant Hyssop, Fragrant Giant Hyssop; Anise Hyssop, Wild Anise). Growing from 2 to 4 feet high, the small flowers appear in the dense inflorescence at the top of the stems that can be up to eight inches high. They can be blue to purplish, with protruding stamens. Leaves are toothed and opposite. The common names referring to "fragrant" and "anise" are because the leaves have a fragrant anise odor when crushed. Leaves are opposite, coarsely toothed and appear whitish on the underside. Good specimens are found in the Upland Garden on Prairie Path.


Blooms of early July.

Notes: The plant is native to most of Minnesota except the far south tier of counties and parts of the dryer Southwest section of the State. Eloise Butler planted it in the Garden first in 1908. It is listed on Martha Crone's 1951 census of plants in the Garden under the older classification of A. anethiodora. This plant is on the "endangered list"in Iowa.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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