Lamiaceae / Agastache urticifolia / Nettle-Leaf Hyssop

Second place is the first loser…right? While we absolutely love our Hyssop tea, each year, we notice this herb is always coming in slightly behind it’s shorter, slightly tastier, easier-to-harvest cousin Monardella / Coyote Mint.

Our first encounter with this plant many years ago was also marked by minor disappointment. Walking along a stream around 2500m, my wife noticed some young Stinging Nettle further on down the path. However, as we approached, we realized that although the leaves had some similarity (urticifolia meaning “Nettle-like”), it was clearly a different plant. Foliage color was way off and most obviously, it didn’t sting! A closer inspection with the other senses opened up a slightly minty scent, with hints of lavender and anise.

1-1.5m tall growing in mostly forested settings from 400-3000m, this plant has the aforementioned coarsely toothed, triangular leaves resembling that of Urtica spp. Inflorescences are a terminal spike in dense, elongated, ephemeral clusters. Colors range from whitish to rose to a lavender. Flowers are white to pale purplish with a 5-lobed calyx. They contain 4 exerted stamens in 2 pairs, one being longer than the others and a 2-lobed exerted style. Fruits are tiny (~2mm), oblong, brown and smooth but with small hairs on the tip.

The entire plant makes our second favorite mint tea in the Sierra Nevada. Leaves can be used for salads or cooked. Seeds are used raw or cooked in a variety of dishes.