Blephilia ciliata (Downy Pagoda Plant) is a perennial native mint with square stems and opposite leaves characteristic of mints. Downy Pagoda Plant forms resettes that can be 1 ft in diameter in production fields. Blephilia ciliata can grow to a height of 3 ft. from the rosettes. The stems are erect and can be very pubescent. Downy Pagoda Plant is our earliest blooming mint species, flowering in late spring/early summer with hairy flowers in a stacked, pagoda-like arrangement. The two-lipped flowers of Blephilia ciliata are purple with small dark purple spots. Downy Pagoda Plant is found in dry woods and fields in areas ranging from southeastern Wisconsin and eastern Oklahoma, to Georgia and Massachusets. Blephilia ciliata grows best in well-drained soils and partial to full sun and may be used in partial shade or full sun pollinator-friendly meadow mixes, providing early food resources for pollinators. Blephilia ciliata is a member of the mint (Lamiaceae) family. Blephilia is derived from "blepharis", the Greek word meaning "eyelash", referring to the bracts being fringed by hairs.
