Dracocephalum heterophyllum
Family: Lamiaceae or Labiatae
What it is like
Dracocephalum heterophyllum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Open slopes in dry areas. Stony slopes of mountain streams, pebbles, clayey, stony and sometimes sandy mountain slopes.
E. Asia - Himalayas from Pakistan to S.E. Tibet.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Root - cooked.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Grows best in a sunny position in a fertile well-drained soil according to some reports whilst other reports say that it prefers a cool position and some shade. Prefers some shelter and a moist but not wet soil.
Propagating it: Seed - sow in an outdoor seedbed in April/May. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 15°c. If seed is in short supply then we would recommend sowing it in a pot in a cold frame, potting it up as soon as it is large enough to handle and growing it on in the frame for the first winter, planting out in late spring. Division in spring or autumn. Basal cuttings in April/May. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist