Dragonheads and Obedient Plants

Physostegia, the lionshearts or false dragonheads (in reference to their similarity to Dracocephalum), is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, native to North America (United States, Canada, northern Mexico). They are erect rhizomatous herbaceous perennials inhabiting damp, sunny places.

They grow up to 2 m (7 ft) tall with purple or pink tubular flowers in racemes in summer.

The generic name comes from two Greek words, physa (a bladder) and stege (a covering), referring to the calyx, which becomes full of fruit when mature.

Physostegia virginiana is the most common species, and is known as "obedient plant".

Species

Physostegia angustifolia Fernald - lower Mississippi Valley, southern Great Plains

Physostegia correllii (Lundell) Shinners - Texas, northern Mexico

Physostegia digitalis Small - Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama

Physostegia godfreyi P.D.Cantino - Florida Panhandle

Physostegia intermedia (Nutt.) Engelm. & A.Gray - lower Mississippi Valley, southern Great Plains

Physostegia ledinghamii (B.Boivin) P.D.Cantino - Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota

Physostegia leptophylla Small - Southeast from Florida to Virginia

Physostegia longisepala P.D.Cantino - Texas, Louisiana

Physostegia parviflora Nutt. ex A.Gray - western Canada (Manitoba to British Columbia), northwestern + north-central United States (Illinois to Washington)

Physostegia pulchella Lundell - eastern Texas

Physostegia purpurea (Walter) S.F.Blake - Southeast from Florida to North Carolina

Physostegia virginiana (L.) Benth. - much of eastern + central US + Canada; northeastern Mexico