Agastache rupestris

Family / Families: Lamiaceae
Scientific Name(s): Agastache rupestris (Greene) Standl.
Institution(s): E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
Accession Number(s): 2004-0190
Location(s): Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Entry Author(s): Daniel Mosquin
Copyright Holder(s): Daniel Mosquin
Image License: Creative Commons License
Tags: Lamiaceae, Lamiales, Photo by Daniel, UBC Botanical Garden

Agastache rupestris in UBC Botanical Garden

Threadleaf giant hyssop or “root beer plant” is native to Arizona and New Mexico. I didn’t crush the foliage of this plant (as I usually do with a mint family plant), so I can’t confirm the accuracy of the root beer plant moniker.

Although most species in the genus Agastache are native to North America (including Mexico), at least one member of the genus is native to southeast Asia. It is a relatively rare floristic distribution pattern for there to be more species in North America than in Asia when a genus occurs on both continents, but other genera that share the pattern include Trillium and Lesquerella (see: Qian, Hong (1999). Floristic analysis of vascular plant genera of North America north of Mexico: characteristics of phytogeography. Journal of Biogeography 26 (6), 1307-1321).

Botany / Evolution resource link: Understanding Evolution. Billed as “an evolution website for teachers”, the site has broad appeal as an excellent primer for anyone wanting to an introduction to evolutionary biology.