Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant, obedience, or false dragonhead) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to North America, where it is distributed from eastern Canada to northern Mexico. Physostegia are known commonly as obedient plants because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position. The name false dragonhead refers to the dragonheads of the related Dracocephalum, a genus to which the plant once belonged.
Video Physostegia virginiana
Description
It is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing clumps of stiff, squared stems 2 to 4 feet tall. The leaves are lance-shaped and toothed. It has long, dense spikes of lipped, pinkish, "snapdragon-like" flowers in the summer.
Maps Physostegia virginiana
Taxonomy
There are two recognized subspecies. They are:
- P. virginiana ssp. praemorsa - Widespread farther south, to Texas and New Mexico. It has larger flowers, with sterile bracts below the inflorescence, and lacks rhizomes. It is typically found in dry upland sites such as prairies and glades.
- P. virginiana ssp. virginiana - Found farther north and west. It has smaller flowers that lack sterile bracts. It is patch-forming from rhizomes. It is typically found in wetter habitats, such as streambanks and bottomlands.
Cultivars of P. virginiana often do not fit well into either of the two varieties and are intermediate in characters. They are thought to have originated from hybridization between the two subspecies.
Cultivation
It is considered a good plant for adding late-season flowers to a garden. Fertile soils produce robust growth and wide spreading, and the plant may require staking. When it grows tall it has a "tendency toward floppiness" that can be controlled with pruning. It can be aggressive and dominate a landscape.
Cultivars
Several cultivars have been bred for color variety. Some (agm) have earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Cultivars include.
- 'Alba' - white flowers.
- 'Crown of Snow' - white flowers
- 'Pink Bouquet' - rose pink flowers
- 'Rosea' - pink flowers
- 'Rosy Spire' - lavender-pink flowers
- 'Summer Snow' (agm) - pure white flowers
- 'Variegata' - pink flowers, green and white variegated leaves
- 'Vivid' (agm) - bright pink flowers
References
External links
- Physostegia virginiana (L.) Benth. ITIS.
- Physostegia virginiana. Floridata.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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