Scutellaria elliptica

Common Names

Hairy Skullcap

Summary

Hairy Skullcap is a perennial herb in the mint family native to the central and eastern United States, growing erect with four-angled, densely hairy stems, leaves are opposite along the stem, with green upper surfaces that are mostly glabrous and pale, pubescent undersides, the plant bears blue to violet tubular flowers with a hood-like upper lip and a two-lipped lower lip in spike-like terminal racemes up to about 4 inches long, blooming May to July, the calyx is glandular-hairy and the fruit is a nutlet, the plant is non-aromatic, in cultivation it grows best in sun to partial shade with average, well-drained soil and shows drought tolerance, typically reaching 6–30 inches tall and about 1 foot wide, it is a low-maintenance native perennial suited to native plantings, borders, slopes, or woodland gardens, it is hardy in USDA zones 5a–9b and can be propagated by seeds, division in spring or fall, or stem cuttings in May, Bees are the primary pollinators (but butterflies visit), it serves as a host plant for the Skullcap Skeletonizer Moth, and deer may browse it

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

12-24 inches

Spread

1-3 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6a-9b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained, sandy to rocky soils with some organic material

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil.

Soil pH

pH below 6.0

Bloom Color

Blue to purple (blue, purple, and lavender)

Bloom Time

Summer

Foliage Color

Green with dark green upper surfaces and pale green lower surfaces.

Fall Foliage Color

Darker color form

Leaf Lifecycle

Semi-deciduous

Growth Rate

Medium

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Stem cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, and moths