Eupatorium lindleyanum var. lindleyanum ("Sawahiyodori")

Japanese name: サワヒヨドリ （沢鵯）
Scientific name: Eupatorium lindleyanum var. lindleyanum

[Overview]
A perennial 30–60 cm tall, found in sunny wetlands.
It has a short rhizome.
The stems and leaves are densely covered with curly hairs.
The stem is erect and branches in the upper part.
The leaves are opposite and lanceolate, 6–12 cm long, but they are often deeply 3-lobed or 3-parted, so they sometimes look like six leaves in a whorl.
Three veins are conspicuous on the leaves, and the underside has glandular dots.
The leaf margins are serrated.
The leaves have very short petioles or are sessile.
Many pale reddish purple flower heads are borne in corymbs at the top of the stem.
The flower heads consist only of tubular flowers, and the pistils protrude from the flowers.
The fruit is an achene with a white pappus.

[Uses]
The stems and leaves are used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by stem cuttings.
It prefers a sunny site with soil that is both well drained and moisture-retentive.
When planting in the ground, avoid places that get strong afternoon sun or that dry out.
Take care that it does not run short of water; for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long sunny spell and the soil dries out.
Too much fertilizer makes the plant leggy and reduces flowering, so apart from basal fertilizer none is particularly needed, but for potted plants diluted liquid fertilizer may be given in spring and autumn.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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