Wrinkled giant hyssop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wrinkled giant hyssop |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Agastache
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| Species: |
rugosa
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Agastache rugosa also known as wrinkled giant hyssop, purple giant hyssop, Indian mint, blue licorice, huo xiang (藿香), and Chinese patchouli, is an aromatic herb in the mint family, native to East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Russian Primorye, Taiwan, India, and Vietnam).
Description
Agastache rugosa is a perennial plant growing up to 40–100 cm (16–39 in) tall, with square stalks that branch at the upper part. The oval-cordate leaves are oppositely arranged, 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) broad, with coarsely serrated margins. Some leaves have hair and/or touches of white on the underside. The leaves are slightly larger than anise hyssop.
From July to September in the Northern Hemisphere, purple bilabiate flowers bloom in verticillasters that are 5–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) broad. The calyx is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, with five narrow triangular lobes. The petals are 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, lower ones longer and the ones inside serrated. They range in color from rose to violet. The stamens are didynamous, long, and exposed. The fruit is schizocarp, with obovate elliptical mericaps of 1.8 mm (0.071 in).
Cultivation
Agastache rugosa grows well in fertile, moisture-retentive soils and good sunlight. The aroma becomes weaker in shady conditions.
Agastache rugosa can be propagated by both sexual and asexual means. The seeds gathered in autumn can be sown in the spring. One can also dig out the plant in autumn or early spring, divide the roots, and plant them at intervals of 30 centimetres (12 in).
Cultivars
There is one known cultivar, 'Golden Jubilee', which has yellow-green foliage.
Uses
Medicinal
China
It is called huò xiāng (Chinese: 藿香) in Chinese and it is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is used interchangeably with guang huo xiang. It was traditionally used to relieve nausea, vomiting and poor appetite. It contains methyl chavicol, anethole, anisaldehyde, limonene, pinene and linalool.
Chemical constituents
Chemical compounds found in the plant include:
- Estragole, plant
- p-Anisaldehyde, plant
- 4-methoxycinnamaldehyde, shoot
- Pachypodol, leaf
- Methylchavicol (60.01–88.43%),
- d-Limonene
- Caryophyllene
- Hexadecanoic acid
- Linoleic acid
- Octahydro-7-methyl-methylene-4-(1-methylethyl)-1H-cyclopenta[1,3]cyclopropa[1,2]benzene
See also
In Spanish: Agastache rugosa para niños
