Common Scullcap

Common Scullcap - Scutellaria galericulata

Perennial plant with erect stem 8-50 cm tall, with underground stolons.  The leaves, distributed in opposite pairs along the stem, have a lanceolate blade about 3-4 cm long with toothed edges.

The Common Scullcap belongs to the Labiatae Family, in fact its flowers have a tubular, violet coloured calyx and a small tube-shaped corolla  that widens into two lips: an upper one arched like a helmet and a lower, longer  protruding one, characterized by  large white portion with blue-violet spots.

The flowers have short stalks and are carried, either alone or in pairs, at the axil of the upper leaves,  they open from June to September.

The species has a circum-boreal distribution and grows along the banks of rivers, in fields and wet woods.