Plant: perennial herb; to 75-100(-150) cm tall, canescent; stems erect to sprawling, 2-3 mm in diameter at midpoint, grayish green, with abundant odoriferous glands

Leaves: deltoid to lanceolate, 1.5-4.5(-6) cm long, 1-3 cm wide, bright green above, grayish below, the blades mostly 1.5-2 times longer than wide, the basal leaves forming a rosette; base truncate to attenuate; margin serrate to dentate; apex acute

INFLORESCENCE: usually interrupted spikes with distinct verticils, 12-30 cm long

Flowers: calyx light green to tan, (3.2-)3.5-5.5 mm long, the tube (1.5-)2-3 mm long, not appearing plicate, the secondary costae thinner than to equaling the primary costae; corolla pale violet to pale blue, the tube 3.5-5 mm long; anthers light pink with purple lines, ca. 0.3 mm long

Fruit: NUTLETS 0.7-1 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide, oblong, light brown with hairs on apical end

Misc: -Canyon slopes and bottoms on igneous substrate with oaks, ponderosa pine, and grasses; 1100-2000 m (3600-6600 ft); Aug-Oct

REFERENCES: Christy, Charlotte M. 2003. Lamiaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 35(2).

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Perennial herb, woody at the base, arising from a basal rosette, to 150 cm tall, erect to sprawling, canescent, branching above the base, stems square. Can get bushy in favorable conditions, fragrant.

Leaves: Somewhat thick, deltoid to lanceolate, usually about twice as long as wide, to 5 cm long with toothed margins, the teeth somewhat widely spaced, bright green above and dusty green beneath, veins obvious on the underside of the leaf, opposite, generally not crowded.

Flowers: Violet or blue, 3.5-5 mm long, tubular with a small lip and hood, tightly packed in interrupted spikes with distinct verticels, the calyx tube green or tan, stamens not or just barely exceeding the corolla, the anthers pink with purple lines.

Fruits: Tiny, oblong nutlets with hairs at the apex.

Ecology: Found on igneous substrates in canyons, open pine forests, grasslands, and oak woodlands, from 3,500-6,500 ft (1100-2000 m); flowers August-October.

Notes: This pretty member of the mint family stands out with its interrupted but generally more open inflorescences, smaller blue flowers, and exceptionally fragrant foliage.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Synonyms: None

Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011

Etymology: Agastache comes from agan, "very much," and stachys, "an ear of corn or wheat," having many spikes, while wrightii is named after British botanist William Franklin Wight (1874-1954) who specialized in the flora of India.