Downy Pagoda Plant, OH Ecotype

Blephilia ciliata (Downy Pagoda Plant) is a perennial native mint with square stems and opposite leaves characteristic of mints. Downy Pagoda Plant forms rosettes that can be 1 ft. in diameter in production fields and can grow to 3 ft. from the rosettes. Blephilia ciliata stems are erect and can be very pubescent. Ernst’s earliest blooming native mint, Downy Pagoda Plant blooms in late spring/early summer with hairy, two-lipped purple flowers having small dark purple spots in a stacked, pagoda-like arrangement. Blephilia ciliata is found in dry woods and fields, from southeastern Wisconsin and eastern Oklahoma to Georgia and Massachusetts. Downy Pagoda Plant grows best in well-drained soils and partial shade to full sun and may be used in partial shade to full sun pollinator-friendly meadow mixes to provide early food resources for pollinators. Blephilia ciliata is a member of thmint (Lamiaceae) family. Blephilia is derived from the Greek word “blepharis” meaning eyelash, referring to the hair-fringed bracts.