Japanese name: ホソバチョウジソウ（細葉丁子草） Scientific name:Amsonia ciliata
[Overview]
A perennial 30–100 cm tall.
The stem is erect.
Leaves are simple and alternate, narrowly linear to lanceolate.
The leaf margins are entire.
Cymes at the stem tips bear many flowers.
The flowers are blue and salverform, with a long corolla tube.
The inside of the corolla tube is hairy.
The corolla is 5-lobed, and the lobes are narrow and oblong.
The fruit is a slender follicle, borne in pairs.
[Uses]
The whole plant is poisonous.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by cuttings of shoots.
It prefers sun to partial shade and well-drained, moisture-retentive soil rich in humus.
Strong direct sun in summer can damage the plant, so move potted plants to a cool place in partial shade, and give plants in the ground light shading.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, also take care that the soil does not become too dry.
Apply base fertilizer, and also place slow-release fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
