Elsholtzia stauntonii (mint shrub, "Kidachinaginatakoju")

Japanese name: キダチナギナタコウジュ （木立薙刀香需）
Scientific name: Elsholtzia stauntonii

[Overview]
A subshrub about 1–1.5 m tall.
The whole plant is fragrant.
The stem is erect and branched, square in cross section, covered with fine soft hairs, and often tinged with purple.
The leaves are simple and opposite, 8–12 cm long and 2.5–4 cm wide, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, with dense glandular dots on the underside.
The leaf margins are toothed.
A flower spike about 10 cm long at the stem tip bears flowers turned to one side.
The flowers are pale reddish purple, and the stamens project out of the flower.
The fruit is a schizocarp.

[Uses]
The whole plant is used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
Rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes dry.
If fertilizer is applied at planting, no further fertilizing is particularly necessary.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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