96 A Little Maryland Garden 
I have also in this bed a group of pretty 
flowers that once bore the fearful name of 
Physostegia dracocephalum cataleptica. It 
is now catalogued as Physostegia virginica, 
and Virginia dragon’s head. It is a tall 
growing plant with slender leaves, blooming 
in summer. Its delicate pink and white 
flowers, slightly speckled, cluster thick along 
the stem like blown bubbles. It blows 
over easily if not staked, and then has a 
curious habit of making a thick joint and 
growing off at right angles. I have read that 
the flower was once supposed to be subject 
to hypnotic influence, and that if it was turned 
on the stem, contrary to its original position, 
it would not right itself, but remain as 
though fixed by suggestion. From this 
came its name of cataleptica. Then some 
one discovered that fine, almost invisible, 
hair-like threads held it in place. For my 
part, though I have moved the flower and 
seen it remain rigid, I have never been able 
to find the filaments that held it. 
Beside these plants there is room only 
