Agastache pallidiflora (Giant Hyssop)
Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Montane.  Rocks, moist meadows.  Summer, fall.
Vallecito Creek Trail, September 13, 2010 and September 12, 2011.

Agastache pallidiflora grows single or numerous stems to over thirty inches tall.  Flowers are about 1/3 of an inch long, arise from prominent pale green clayxes, and occur in densely packed clusters.  Flower color ranges from white through pink to purple. 

The plants shown here belong to the variety "pallidiflora", which grows in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.  Click to see the more consistently pink flowering variety "neomexicana", which grows throughout western and central New Mexico and in just a few counties of southern Arizona and western Texas. 

John Clayton named this genus in 1762 and the species was at first named Brittonastrum pallidiflora by Amos Heller in 1899.  Per Axel Rydberg renamed it Agastache pallidiflora in 1906.  Greek gives us both "agan" ("many") and "stachys" ("spikes")  "Pallidiflora" is Latin for "pale flower".

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Agastache pallidiflora