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False Dragonhead Wikimedia Commons
Lamiaceae

False Dragonhead

Physostegia virginiana

flexibility and obedience.

Family
Lamiaceae
Genus
Physostegia
Native to
North America
Bloom season
Summer, Fall
Type
herbaceous perennial
Height
60-120 cm
Sunlight
full sun to partial shade
Soil
moist, fertile
Water
moderate to high
Hardiness
3-9
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • It is also called obedient plant because individual flowers can be pushed to any position on the stem and will stay there.
  • The hinged flowers remain wherever you place them due to a unique flexible joint at the base of each flower.
  • Despite being called obedient, the plant itself is anything but, spreading aggressively by rhizomes in rich, moist soil.
  • The genus name Physostegia means bladder covering, referring to the inflated calyx that surrounds the developing seeds.
  • It is one of relatively few members of the mint family that are native to North America rather than the Old World.

Color meanings

0

flexibility

1

obedience

2

compliance

3

adaptability

Uses

  • border planting
  • cut flowers
  • pollinator gardens
  • naturalistic planting