''Agastache foeniculum'' (blue giant hyssop; syn. ''Agastache anethiodora'' (

Nutt. Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an England, English botany, botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle, North Yorkshire, S ...

) Britton), commonly called anise hyssop, blue giant hyssop, Fragrant giant hyssop, or the lavender giant hyssop, is a species of

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

plant in the

mint family The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, ...

, ( Lamiaceae). This plant is native to much of north-central and northern North America, notably the Great Plains and other

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

s. It is tolerant of

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

and drought, and also attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees,

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosm ...

s, carpenter bees, and night flying moths. Anise hyssop is in the same family as

hyssop ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expecto ...

(the mint family Lamiaceae), but they are not closely related. Hyssop ('' Hyssopus'') is a genus of about 10–12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants native from the east

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

to central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Description

This species grows from to tall and wide, in a clump-like, upright shape, with flowers appearing in showy verticillasters, or false whorls, and occasionally branching at the apex. The leaves have an oval, toothed shape with a white tint underneath. The plant blooms in June to September with bright lavender

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s that become more colorful near the tip. One plant may produce upwards of 90,000 individual flowers. The root system produces a

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

Pollinators

White Agastache foeniculum with bumblebee

Anise hyssop is considered one of the premier plants for feeding pollinators. The 1969 edition of the Rodale's ''Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening'' claims that one acre planted in anise hyssop can support 100 honeybee hives, the flowers blooming for a very long season, often from June until frost and during the time it blooms, one can see bees on the flowers from the morning until dusk. A horticultural writer has claimed that the many flowers of the plant provide forage for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Uses

Anise hyssop was used medicinally by Native Americans for cough, fevers, wounds, diarrhea . The soft, anise-scented leaves are used as a seasoning, as a

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

, in

potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...

, and can be crumbled in

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

. The purple flower spike is favored by bees who make a light fragrant honey from the nectar."Herbs"; Smithsonian Handbook - Lesley Bremness

References

foeniculum ''Foeniculum '' is a genus of flowering plants in the carrot family. It includes the commonly cultivated fennel, ''Foeniculum vulgare.'' ;Species *'' Foeniculum scoparium'' Quézel - North Africa *'' Foeniculum subinodorum'' Maire, Weiller & ...

Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora of North America Plants used in Native American cuisine {{Lamiaceae-stub