Japanese name: ルリアザミ（瑠璃薊） Scientific name:Centratherum punctatum
[Overview]
A perennial or subshrub 10–50 cm tall.
The stem is erect and covered with soft hairs.
Leaves are simple and alternate, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, 1.5–6 cm long and 0.5–4 cm wide.
The leaf margins have coarse teeth.
The leaves have an apple-like fragrance.
Flowers are solitary at the stem tips, surrounded by 3–8 large leaf-like bracts.
The flowers are thistle-shaped flower heads 3–4 cm across, pale purple.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
Avoid direct sunlight in summer. It dislikes dryness.
It has poor cold hardiness, so outdoor cultivation is limited to regions where frost does not occur.
