Aloysia citriodora (lemon verbena)

Japanese name: レモンバーベナ
Scientific name: Aloysia citriodora

[Overview]
An evergreen subshrub or shrub that grows 3–4.5 m tall in its native range.
It drops its leaves when temperatures fall below 0°C.
The stems become woody and are square in cross section.
The leaves are usually in whorls of 3, sometimes opposite, lanceolate and 7.5–10 cm long, glossy on the upper surface with conspicuous lateral veins.
The leaf margins are entire or finely serrate.
The leaves have a strong lemon-like scent.
Container-grown plants may not flower.
Panicles about 12 cm long at the stem tips bear many flowers.
The flowers are small and white to pale purple; the corolla is tubular with 4 lobes at the tip.
There are 4 stamens, which do not protrude from the flower.
The fruit is a schizocarp.

[Uses]
The leaves keep their fragrance for years even when dried, and are used to flavor food and drinks, in potpourri, and for herbal tea.
In Latin America it is also used in traditional medicine.
An essential oil can also be obtained.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, airy, well-drained, fertile soil.
In areas without frost it can overwinter outdoors; cutting it back hard and mulching the base with straw or similar makes overwintering easier, and it sprouts in late spring to early summer.
In cold regions, grow it as an annual, or grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny spot in winter, keeping watering to a minimum.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for established plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long sunny spell and the soil becomes dry.
For potted plants, in addition to a base fertilizer, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil at sprouting time and in autumn; for plants in the ground, a base fertilizer is enough and nothing more is particularly needed.
Pinching in early summer, which doubles as harvesting, makes the plant branch well and grow bushy.
There are no particular pests or diseases, but aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and the like may occur.

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