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Any ideas on what this purple flower might be? We are located in south-east Wisconsin. I'm fairly certain that I self-seeded these in the large container that they are growing in.

Edit: Added photos with more detail. To me it looks most like a hyssop. I do have some anise hyssop in another spot in the garden bought from a nursery and they do look similar.

Purple FlowerPurple Flower StalkPurple Flower Leaf Closeup

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  • My money's on Hyssop as mentioned below, but a clearer photo of the foliage would be very helpful - and have you used some kind of filter, because both this photo and the other one you posted look oddly coloured, almost like there's a blue/purple filter been applied. If so, please remove the colour filter...
    – Bamboo
    Oct 1, 2018 at 16:47

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It looks like Giant or Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), but the picture is too blurry for me to be sure. It is a member of the mint family, and can be used for teas.

Agastache foeniculum

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It is certainly a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) as evidenced by the zygomorphic flowers and characteristic leaves. A close inspection of the stem should reveal a square shape in cross section. Many members of the mint family are used for spices, and the crushed leaves often have a characteristic smell/scent when crushed. The flowers are often favored by butterflies and hummingbirds as well.

This is a very large family of plant species so the exact identification of the purple wildflower in your photo is not possible. It does look similar to a genus (Monarda spp.) commonly called "bee balm", but that would only be a guess. Perhaps you can find a similar candidate by looking through some "mint family" images online. Please take a look at the Wikipedia link below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamiaceae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda

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  • Yeah, I thought at first that it was Monarda citriodora, but the flowers don't match at all, nor do the architectural leaves; as you said, it's definitely a mint. I don't think it's a common hyssop, because the leaves in the photo don't match. It also reminded me of Stachys officinalis (the flowers and flowerhead), but the leaves, again, aren't right. .Sigh. Now I won't be able to sleep tonight :)
    – Jurp
    Oct 2, 2018 at 2:10
  • With the different photos, that is indeed a hyssop. The leaves on the earlier photos were almost of a different shape and certainly had much shorter internodes. Agastache foeniculum is considered a wildflower in Wisconsin, so that fits your source.
    – Jurp
    Nov 4, 2018 at 14:51

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