Aloysia polystachya - Liquorice Verbena - Plant

Description

• Verbenaceae
• Argentina, Bolivia
• H 2.5m x W 2m
• Z9-12
• Perennial, deciduous shrub in European latitudes
• 1 plant bare roots
  

Details

Aloysia polystachya is a cousin of the renown Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citriodora)

It grows long arching stems that can be trellised on a support or left to run
Its elongated, fine leaves give off a most pleasant scent, soft, sweet and reminiscent of liquorice
They are traditionally dried and made into a delicious herb tea in Latin American countries

Verbena Liquorice is also a medicinal plant
Properties: Antimicrobial, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Antidepressant, Diuretic, Antipyretic, Digestive, Muscle relaxant, Sedative, and Stomachic

It is a source of an essential oil rich in monoterpenes (carvacrol, carvone, eucarvone, limonene, pinene, sabinene, and thujone)

Cultivation

Aloysia polystachya is less hardy than its cousin Lemon Verbena
Protect it from severe frosts in winter

It grows very quickly and generously in summer, when it finds heat, sun, and water
Verbena Liquorice is very easy to take care of, and will grow back each year after its winter dormancy

Rarely in catalogs and still largely unknown to the public