The flowers are cross-pollinated primarily by honeybees, bumblebees, digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp., etc.), and Masked bees (Hylaeus spp.) seeking nectar or pollen. The flowers are also visited by an oligolectic bee, Doufourea monardae. Other occasional floral visitors are Syrphid flies, bee flies, and various butterflies, skippers, and moths.

Mammalian herbivores normally avoid consumption of this plant as the anise scent of the foliage is repugnant to them. The anise scent may also deter some leaf-chewing insect species.

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"Agastache foeniculum, commonly called anise hyssop, is a species of perennial plant in the mint family, (Lamiaceae). This plant is native to much of north-central and northern North America.

Anise hyssop is in the same family as hyssop (the mint family Lamiaceae), but they are not closely related. Hyssop (Hyssopus) is a genus of about 10-12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia.

Anise hyssop was used medicinally by Native Americans for cough, fevers, wounds, diarrhea. The soft, anise-scented leaves are used as a seasoning, as a tea, and in potpourri. The purple flower spike is favored by bees who make a light fragrant honey from the nectar."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...

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This is a North American native species that is often confused with the East Asian species Korean Mint (Agastache rugosa) or Anise Hyssop (Agastache 'Blue Fortune'), which looks like a cultivar of it or a hybrid with it as a parent, and I have seen native plant nurseries use pictures of what looks like the East Asian species and sell it under the name of the North American native species. Many of the photos on this profile look like the East Asian species to me.

They look quite similar and have a similar anise aroma, but the North American native has glossier leaves that tend to be darker green with teeth that are not as rounded. If you look at the underside of the leaf closely, the North American species is said to have very dense small hairs on the underside, whereas the East Asian species has more scattered larger hairs, densest around veins. (This doesn't seem to hold true for my seedling plants, which I thought were the North American native, so perhaps my hand lens isn't good enough, or it is only true of mature leaves or it is not true of all genetic variants or that my plant is a hybrid between these two species.) The East Asian species often has an indented leaf base (a more heart-shaped leaf) and the leaves tend to be a bit wider in proportion to the length.

These differences are reported on a PDF produced by Terry Serres for Big River Big Woods, the chapter of Wild Ones in the Twin Cities. It may be that some of these differences are not completely accurate or that there are better ways of distinguishing the species, or that there are hybrids between Agastache species that also need to be distinguished from Agastache foeniculum and Agastache rugosa. I tend to go on the rule of thumb that the East Asian species tends to have denser flower clusters without gaps, and wider leaves directly under the flower clusters, but I am not sure if that holds true either, looking at photos of Agastache rugosa on this site. I think more research on the differences is warranted and hopefully more native plant nurseries will get clued in to this problem and make sure they are selling the genuine North American species.

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The name of "Agastache" for this perennial of the Mint Family comes from Greek meaning "many spikes" and "foeniculum" comes from Latin for "hay." This species has a large native range of all of southern Canada into the Northwest Territory, some of New England & New York down into Kentucky through Illinois to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, & Washington. This is a very easy upright plant for sunny, well-drained soils. It has a small taproot and some spreading rhizomes. It can be divided in spring or fall, but I think this is one of the perennials that can be left alone. The purple flower spikes are about 3 to 6 inches long and do not have a scent, but are very attractive to many kinds of bees and to flies, butterflies, moths, and an occasional hummingbird. It blooms about 2 months and the bloom can be extended some by dead-heading. The crushed leaves have an anise scent and can be used to make a tea. It is sold by most native plant nurseries and by many conventional nurseries also. There are several cultivars. My neighbour across the street has had two of them for about 15 years and they keep doing well.

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Agastache foeniculum has special value to native, bumble, and honey bees, and attracts a variety of bee species including longhorned, bumble, small resin, and leafcutter bees.

This plant also plays a beneficial role in the garden by attracting predatory insects such as bee flies and soldier beetles. These beneficial insects feed on a variety of common garden pests.

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