Teucrium fruticans (tree germander)

Japanese name: ツリー ジャーマンダー
Scientific name: Teucrium fruticans

[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 0.5–1.5 m in both height and spread, branching well and forming a mound.
The stems and leaves are aromatic.
The whole plant is densely covered with fine white velvety hairs, giving it a gray-green tinge; the hairs are especially dense on the twigs and the undersides of the leaves, which look white.
Young stems have 4 ridges.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate to lanceolate, about 2.5–3.5 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, with margins entire or sometimes wavy.
The upper surface of the leaf is densely covered with white hairs when young, but later becomes hairless and a glossy dark green.
The flowers are borne two at a time in verticillasters at the stem tips, and several verticillasters together form a raceme 15–25 cm long overall.
The flowers are labiate, about 2.5 cm long, pale blue to pale bluish purple with darker veins.
The upper lip is very small and deeply 2-lobed.
The lower lip is 3-lobed, with a long central lobe.
There are 4 stamens, which, together with the pistil, protrude far out through the cleft of the upper lip and curve.
The fruit is a schizocarp.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, airy, well-drained site and slightly dry, weakly alkaline, poor soil.
It dislikes heat and humidity.
Take care not to let it become too moist; for potted plants, water thoroughly after the soil has dried, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary, but for potted plants, a small amount of slow-release fertilizer may be placed on the soil in spring and autumn, depending on the plant's condition.
It tolerates hard pruning.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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