Physostegia, the lionshearts[1] 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).[2][3] 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.[4]
| Physostegia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Physostegia virginiana | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Lamioideae |
| Genus: | Physostegia Benth. |
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.[5]
Physostegia virginiana is the most common species, and is known as "obedient plant".
- Species[2]
- 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
References
edit- ^ NRCS. "Physostegia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution maps
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1-4053-3296-5.
- ^ Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.