LABIATE— MINT FAMILY 



SKULLCAP 



Scutellaria integrifdlia 



Scutellaria, a dish, from the form of the fruiting calyx. 



A native perennial herb in moist borders of fields 

 and wood, chiefly referred to the Atlantic coast. New 

 England to Virginia. June-August. 



Stem. — Six to twenty inches high, dividing into many 

 branches, each becoming a leafy, flowering stem. 



Leaves. — Opposite, upper leaves sessile, 

 oblong; lower leaves ovate to lanceolate, 

 sometimes subcordate at base, often cre- 

 nate-dentate or cut; the leaves grow 

 smaller as they ascend the stem. 



Flowers. — Violet-blue, two-lipped, borne 

 solitary in the axils of the leaves. 



Calyx. — Swollen on one side, two-lipped, 

 entire; the upper lip crested on its back. 



Corolla. — Two-lipped, three-fourths of 

 an inch long, minutely downy, a little 

 swollen below the throat, then slightly con- 

 stricted. Violet-blue, whitish underneath; 

 upper lip darker than the lower; the lower 

 lip spreading, broad, slightly notched at 

 the middle. 



Stamens. — Four, in two pairs, all anther- 

 bearing, ascending under the upper lip; the 

 upper lip somewhat shorter; anthers two-celled, downy; 

 anthers of the lower pair one-celled, also downy. 



Pistil. — Ovary four-parted; each segment developing 

 into a rough, one-seeded nutlet. 



176 



Skullcap. Scutel- 

 Idria integrifdlia 



