Lamiaceae
Scutellaria angustifolia

Narrowleaf Skullcap

Stems erect from underground running roots. Stems single or branched near bottom. Stems and leaves coated with small curved hairs, no glands. Leaves gray-green, 1/2–2 in., linear to oblong, entire, with rounded tips. Flowers on upper stem in leaf axils, with short stalks. Flowers blue, with upper lip notched, about same size or slightly longer than lower lip, throat open, tube about 1 in. long, bent above calyx. Grows in moist, often rocky places. Similar S. antirrhinoides has smaller flowers, with long, white, gland-tipped hairs inside nearly closed throat. Shorter S. nana has mats of crowded leaves covered with downward-pointing glandular hairs; flowers solitary in leaf axils, white to yellow; lower lip light yellow with purple spots; upper lip darker yellow; grows on open, dry volcanic soils or basalt.

  • Rarity: Locally Common
  • Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
  • Life Cycle: Perennial
  • Height: 4--12 inches
  • Habitat: Meadow, Shrub-Steppe
  • Found In: Siskiyous, East Gorge
  • Native: Yes