Japanese name: エルサレムセージ Scientific name:Phlomis fruticosa
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 1–1.5 m tall.
The whole plant is densely covered with white stellate hairs and looks whitish.
The stem is erect and has 4 ridges.
The leaves are simple and opposite, elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 5–10 cm long, with very low rounded teeth on the margin or slightly wavy margins.
On the upper surface, the leaf veins are sunken and wrinkled.
Leaves at the base of the stem have petioles 1–2.5 cm long.
A verticillaster is produced at the stem tip, bearing 10–20 yellow flowers about 3 cm long.
The bracts are ovate to lanceolate, about 1–2 cm long and 0.3–0.7 cm wide.
The fruit is a schizocarp.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It can overwinter outdoors in areas without frost.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, well-ventilated site with slightly dry sandy or gravelly soil.
It dislikes excess moisture, so for potted plants water thoroughly after the soil has dried, and for plants in the ground rainfall is sufficient.
Too much fertilizer makes it leggy and prone to falling over, so apart from basal fertilizer, use it sparingly.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
