Scientific Name:
Physostegia virginiana
Pronunciation:
fizz-oh-STEE-jee-uh vur-jin-ee-AY-nuh
Common Name:
obedient plant, false dragonhead
Family Name:
Lamiaceae
Plant Type:
Flowering cut plant, Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Stems square in c.s.; leaves narrow-lanceolate, sharply-toothed, up to 12cm long; flowers snapdragon-like (tubular, two-lipped), pink to pale lilac in upright terminal spikes up to 40cm long, Jul-Nov.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Origin:
North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Attract butterflies, Cut flower or foliage, Perennial border, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include P. 'Vivid'
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Lanceolate, Spatulate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate, Truncate
Margins:
Double serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Spike
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Purple, Pink (P. 'Vivid' has bright pink flowers.)
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Ovary separates into four tiny mericarps or "nutlets" that are enclosed in a persistent calyx
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
