Japanese name: ヤグルマハッカ（矢車薄荷） Scientific name:Monarda fistulosa
[Overview]
A perennial 50–120 cm tall.
The whole plant is aromatic.
The stem is square in cross section.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate, 5–8 cm long, and covered with soft hairs.
The leaf margins are nearly entire or slightly toothed.
A whorled cyme about 4 cm across is borne at the stem tip, densely bearing 20–50 flowers.
The inflorescence has leaf-like bracts.
The corolla is 3 cm long, divided into two lips, upper and lower, and pale pink.
There are 2 stamens, which protrude long.
The fruit is a schizocarp.
[Uses]
The dried leaves and flowers are used as herbal tea and also in potpourri.
It is also used as a nectar source plant.
The whole plant at flowering time is also used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division, from seed, or by stem cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, well-ventilated, slightly moist soil.
It is highly cold-hardy.
For potted plants, water when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil in spring and autumn.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, gray mold and aphids.
