'' Agastache scrophulariifolia'', also known as the purple giant hyssop, is a perennial plant that grows throughout the US and Northern Ontario, CN. Its name comes from the similarity of its leaves to plants of the genus ''

Scrophularia The genus ''Scrophularia'' of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of ''Scrophularia'' all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers for ...

''. It is a beneficial plant to pollinators and is noted for its medicinal properties, as many plants in the mint family are. It tends to grow in disturbed or open areas where it does not have to interact with non-native competitive plants.

Description

Individuals of this species are perennial herbs that can grow up to six feet tall. They are late-flowering species in the mint family. ''Agastache scrophulariifolia'' tends to have several spiked inflorescence. Flowers of ''Agastache scrophulariifolia'' do not all bloom simultaneously and range from lavender to pink in color. The dark brown fruit they produce is a

nutlet A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, a wide variety of dry seeds are called nuts, but in a botanical context "nut" implies that the shell ...

Distribution

''Agastache scrophulariifolia '' was once distributed throughout CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, and ON, Canada. However, its range is now severely reduced in many areas and in some cases extirpated completely. These declines are largely due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, predation by deer, and competition for resources with non-native plants.

Conservation status in the United States

It is listed as endangered in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, as threatened in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, and as a special concern in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Habitat and ecology

''Agastache scrophulariifolia'' tends to grow in

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

habitats, disturbed open areas, and meadows. The previously mentioned areas are ideal for ''Agastache scrophulariifolia'' because competition with other plants is reduced. As riparian habitats are altered or farmlands return to forest communities, ''Agastache scrophulariifolia '' suffers from

. It is a perennial plant that grows well in sandy loamy soils and requires sunlight for its seeds to germinate.

Usage

Many people use this plant for its aromatic effects. Its leaves are edible.

Medicinal

The

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

use an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An in ...

of the root as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics i ...

, and also use a compound of the plant heads medicinally.Smith, Huron H. 1928 Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians. Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:175-326 (p. 225)

References

* Plants Profile for Agastache scrophulariifolia (Purple giant hyssop). Plants Profile for Agastache scrophulariifolia (Purple giant hyssop). Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=AGSC PURPLE GIANT HYSSOP Agastache scrophulariifolia (Willd.) Kuntze. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_agsc.pdf {{Taxonbar, from=Q15339351 scrophulariifolia Flora of the United States Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Willdenow Plants used in traditional Native American medicine