N. ORD.—LABIATA. 
Tribe.—STACHYDEA. ge 
GENUS.—SCUTELLARIA,* LINN. 
SEX. SYST.—DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA. 
SCUTELLARIA. 
SKULL CAP. 
SYN.—SCUTELLARIA LATERIFOLIA, LINN. 
COM. NAMES.—VIRGINIAN SKULL CAP, MAD-DOG SKULL CAP, HOOD- 
WORT, MAD-WEED, MAD-DOG WEED, BLUE PIMPERNEL; (FR.) SCU- 
TELLAIRE; (GR.) HELMKRAUT. 
A TINCTURE OF THE WHOLE PLANT SCUTELLARIA LATERIFOLIA, LINN. 
Description.— This common perennial herb grows to a height of from 1 to 2 
feet. Root fibrous; stem 4-sided, smooth, except upon the softly pubescent angles 
upright, and much branched or simple. Leaves opposite, ovate -lanceolate or svace 
oblong, pointed, closely serrate, and rounded or somewhat cordate at the base; 
petioles about one-fourth the length of the blade. /nflorescence in opposite, sie 
lary, unilateral, leafy racemes; /eaves, first pair similar to those of the stem, the 
rest gradually reduced to bracts; flowers small, blue, single, in the axils of the 
floral leaves. Calyx in anthesis campanulate, 2-lipped; lips entire. Corolla bi- 
labiate, erect; ébe elongated, curved upward, dilated at the throat, and naked 
within; Zs short, equal in length, the upper arched and having two lateral 
divisions connected with its basal sides, the lower spreading, convex, notched at 
the apex. Stamens 4, parallel, ascending under the upper lip, the superior pair 
shorter; anthers approximated in pairs, ciliate, those of the lower pair 1-celled by 
abortion, the upper 2-celled and cordate. Style 2-forked, the upper arm wanting 
Fruiting calyx closed, the upper lip with a helmet-like, and at 
nlarged, appendage on the back, the whole splitting at matu- 
falling away. Nuztlets 4. wingless, depressed, tubercular, 
ted and bent gyno-base, inclining the fruit to the 
bryo curved ; vadicle short, incumbent upon one 
or very small. 
length concave and e 
rity, the upper lip usually 
and situated upon a slightly eleva 
upper sepal; seed transverse; ¢7 
of the cotyledons. ae 
—Scutellaria is indigenous to North America, where it 
da and westward to British Columbia, Oregon, and © 
laces, and flowers during July and 
History and Habitat. 
ranges from Canada to Flori 
New Mexico; it habits the borders of wet p 
August. 
> Sentelta, a saucer or sallow dish alluding tothe fring calyx, 
