Copy permalink to share
Lamiaceae
Physostegia

Physostegia purpurea (Walter) Blake. Common name: Savanna Obedient-plant. Phenology: Late May-Nov; Jun-Sep. Habitat: Wet savanna, savanna-swamp ecotone, ditches adjacent to former pinelands. Distribution: Ec. NC south to s. FL, west to sw. GA and Panhandle FL.

Glossary (beta)

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: Cantino (1982) discusses clinal variation within P. purpurea.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Fl6, GW2, K4, WH3, Cantino (1982); = Dracocephalum denticulatum Aiton — S; = Physostegia obovata (Elliott) Godfrey ex Weath. — F; < Dracocephalum purpureum (Walter) E.M.McClint. ex Gleason — RAB; Prasium purpureum Walter. Basionym: Prasium purpureum Walter 1788

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)

Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW

Heliophily ⓘ: 9

Your browser does not support SVGs

Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.

image of plant© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan Cressler: Physostegia purpurea, Wayne County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Joe MDO, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe MDO source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Matt Reala, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matt Reala source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward source CC-BY | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Joe MDO, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe MDO source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© cpgibson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by cpgibson source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Matt Reala, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Matt Reala source CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Jay Horn source

Feedback

See something missing or incorrect about Physostegia purpurea? Let us know here:

  1. Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
  2. If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
  3. Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
  4. Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
  5. Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.

Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

Intro: Erect, rhizomatous perennial of wet savannas, savanna-swamp ecotones and ditches adjacent to former pinelands.

Stems: Stems 4-angled and ridged, simple, smooth.

Leaves: Leaves opposite, petiolate or sessile (may be clasping above), lance-shaped, to 6 in. long (upper leaves much reduced and uppermost pair often no larger than the floral bracts), bluntly toothed to entire.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers closely spaced along a purplish-red-tinged, finely hairy terminal raceme; deep purple-pink; 1 1/2-2 in. long; bilaterally symmetric; tubular and inflated, with darker splotches within, opening to 2 spreading lips, the lower one 3-lobed. The purple-tinged, tubular calyx is shorter, has 5 triangular lobes and is finely hairy.

Fruits:

Comments:

Height: 1-3 ft.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect, rhizomatous perennial of wet savannas, savanna-swamp ecotones and ditches adjacent to former pinelands.

stems: Stems 4-angled and ridged, simple, smooth.

leaves: Leaves opposite, petiolate or sessile (may be clasping above), lance-shaped, to 6 in. long (upper leaves much reduced and uppermost pair often no larger than the floral bracts), bluntly toothed to entire.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers closely spaced along a purplish-red-tinged, finely hairy terminal raceme; deep purple-pink; 1 1/2-2 in. long; bilaterally symmetric; tubular and inflated, with darker splotches within, opening to 2 spreading lips, the lower one 3-lobed. The purple-tinged, tubular calyx is shorter, has 5 triangular lobes and is finely hairy.

fruits:

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: NC, SC, GA & FL



0 unsaved edits on this page.