Pa Sole Prairie Conservation Area is named after the Osage term meaning "settlers on the hilltops".
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Scientific Name
Physostegia virginiana
Family
Lamiaceae (mints)
Description
False dragonhead is a member of the mint family that grows 3–4 feet tall and forms dense spikes of pink or lavender snapdragon-like flowers. When you push one of the flowers sideways, it "obediently" stays in place for a while. It's a native perennial with single or sparingly branched, hairless stems that are square in cross-section. The flowers are in long, terminal spikes with a few lateral spikes, tightly spaced in vertical rows, pink to pale lilac with darker purplish markings, funnel-shaped with a hoodlike upper lip and a 3-divided lower lip, lacking scent. Blooms May–September. Leaves opposite, stalkless, narrowly lance-shaped, sharply toothed, to 5 inches long.
Similar species: Two other "false dragonheads" occur in Missouri, both with more limited ranges. P. angustifolia has less-dense flowering spikes and thicker, narrower leaves; it occurs only in the southern half of the state. P. intermedia has smaller flowers and few or no teeth on the leaves; it is limited to swampy areas of our southeastern counties.
Size
Height: to 4 feet.
Where To Find
Statewide.
Habitat and Conservation
Occurs in moist soils of fields, prairies, thickets, woodland openings and borders, along rivers and streams, and lakesides.
Human Connections
False dragonhead is often grown in flower gardens, and special cultivars have been developed. It can spread aggressively, however. It is called “obedient plant” because the flowers, when pushed from their normal position, will remain for a while where they have been turned. "True" dragonhead is a similar-looking species that grows in Europe.
Ecosystem Connections
Bumblebees, other bees, and hummingbirds visit the flowers. Not many mammals eat the leaves.
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False dragonhead is called "obedient plant" because when you push one of the flowers sideways, it "obediently" stays in place for a while.
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False dragonhead occurs in moist soils of fields, prairies, thickets, woodland openings and borders, along rivers and streams, and lakesides.
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Similar Species
Similar Species
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Where to See Species
About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!