Hairy Pagoda-Plant

Description

Blephilia hirsuta is an herbaceous perennial of the mint family Lamiaceae native to eastern North America. It is commonly called hairy wood-mint or hairy pagoda plant. Hairy wood mint is a perennial plant that is normally 30 to 120 cm (12 to 47 inches) tall. The central stem is covered with long white hairs and ends in several whorls of flowers. The flowers can be either light blue, pale purple or white with purple spots. Each flower is about 1 cm (1⁄2 inch) long with light green sepals, two main 'lips', two visible stamens, and a style that is divided at its tip. The flowers appear in the summer for roughly a month and a half. Arranged oppositely along the stem, the leaves of hairy wood mint are long but thin, becoming wider near the base of the leaf. They are pleasantly fragrant. The petioles are 1 to 3 cm (1⁄2 to 1 1⁄4 inches) and are covered with little hairs. Out of all the plants in this genus, Blephilia hirsuta has the largest leaves. The stems grow from a system of rhizomes with fibrous roots.