The mint bush is full of late-season flower on the Bee Borders.
A shrubby member of the Lamiaceae (mint family), Elsholtzia stauntonii has woody stems, which are angular when young, and terminal panicles of two-lipped mauve or white flowers. The opposite leaves are mid-green in colour, lance- to ovate-shaped, toothed, and mint-scented. One of 34 species it originates from China and requires full sun. In the garden this species provides late-season colour and also serves as a valuable source of nectar to bees. Introduced from China in 1909 this species commemorates the Prussian botanist Johann Elsholtz, 1623-1688.