Oh goodness....The number of plants with aromatic foliage is staggering. Can you describe the plant, leaves, leaf arrangement, etc.? For rootbeer flavorings, sassafras, wintergreen, sweet birch and more have all been used. Even some anise-flavors like anise and licorice. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia - root beer

The seeds are pretty easy to harvest. Wait until the lavender flowers turn tan/brown later in the fall. The seeds are tiny & black and will pour out of the dried flower heads if they haven't fallen out already. I love that even the seeds smell like licorice. My agastache had a great first year, second year it was pretty disappointing but it's gorgeous this year. I only planted it once so either it's hardy where I am or it reseeds itself. The first year after I planted it there were several dozen volunteers but I pulled them out. I didn't want a huge clump in that spot. It's rare NOT to see a bee on them. I finally staked mine so I could walk by without disturbing the bees.

I agree that wildflowers and wild strains of native plants have less consistent flowers and foliage, less compact growing habits, shorter bloom times, and many other characteristics that someone found undesirable. I disagree that this makes them somehow "worse" and cultivars somehow "better." Gardeners selected traits like more consistent foliage through careful breeding and inbreeding. Gains in those traits that were human selected are accompanied by losses in traits gained over millions of years of natural selection. Traits like disease and pest resistance, tolerance of droughts, floods, or poor soils, and above all, sexiness to native pollinators. I plant my native garden to recreate a miniature native ecosystem. I enjoy seeing all the native pollinators and butterflies. To me, cultivation invariably means worse plants. They are less sexy to butterflies. To me, more wild they are, the better. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Mine don't look quiet that bad. but almost, and they are in pots, I toss out the old growth, and keep only the new because those will be the ones that will flower. I purchased mine, one good one a year, and worked long hours to get the rest. I didn't get paid for the time. Each one is dear to me, often collected by the friends and professionals that taught me how to take care of them. When they flower I can't go into the green house they smell like Gardena, They start to open after dark, and continue each night a few at a time in each cluster,(3-6) and die in the morning. I keep the greenhouse closed so there arn't any moths to fertilize for me. I writing this for information for the purposes hopeing that you will gather some information from each of my posts. I am quiet interested in sharing any and all information that I still may have in my head, it is getting older every year. Hugs to all, Norma