Obedient Plant, False Dragonhead

Physostegia virginiana

fy-so-STEEJ-ee-uh   vir-jin-ee-AN-uh

Synonym of Physostegia virginiana (1) (Updated on 12-20-23 from Plants of the World Online): Dracocephalum virginianum L. (1753)
Synonyms of Physostegia virginiana subsp. praemorsa (7) (Updated on 12-20-23 from POWO): Dracocephalum variegatum Vent. (1801) (nom. illeg.), Physostegia praemorsa Shinners (1951), Physostegia serotina Shinners (1956), Physostegia variegata Benth. (1829), Physostegia virginiana var. arenaria Shimek (1911), Physostegia virginiana var. reducta B.Boivin (1966), Prasium incarnatum Walter (1788)
Synonyms of Physostegia virginiana subsp. virginiana (30) (Updated on 12-20-23 from POWO): Dracocephalum denticulatum Aiton (1789), Dracocephalum denticulatum var. obovatum Farw. (1923), Dracocephalum formosius (Lunell) Rydb. (1931), Dracocephalum lancifolium Moench (1794) (nom. illeg.), Dracocephalum louisianum Lem. (1843), Dracocephalum regelii Voss (1895) (pro syn.),Dracocephalum speciosum Sweet (1825), Dracocephalum virginianum var. album Nutt. (1835), Dracocephalum virginianum var. granulosum (Fassett) Core (1973), Dracocephalum virginianum var. speciosum Farw. (1923), Physostegia denticulata (Aiton) Britton (1894), Physostegia formosior Lunell (1908), Physostegia formosior f. alba J.W.Moore (1950), Physostegia granulosa Fassett (1939), Physostegia imbricata Hook. (1835), Physostegia latidens House (1915), Physostegia nivea Lundell (1974), Physostegia pulchella Jacques (1845), Physostegia speciosa (Sweet) Sweet (1830), Physostegia speciosa var. glabriflora Fassett (1939), Physostegia virginiana f. alba (J.W.Moore) B.Boivin (1966) (nom. illeg.), Physostegia virginiana alba J.R.Duncan & V.C.Davies (1925), Physostegia virginiana f. candida Benke (1935), Physostegia virginiana var. denticulata (Aiton) Chapm. (1860), Physostegia virginiana var. elongata B.Boivin (1966), Physostegia virginiana var. formosior (Lunell) B.Boivin (1966), Physostegia virginiana var. granulosa (Fassett) Fernald (1943), Physostegia virginiana rosea J.R.Duncan & V.C.Davies (1925), Physostegia virginiana var. speciosa (Sweet) A.Gray (1878), Prasium coccineum Walter (1788)

Physostegia virginiana (L.) Benth. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Physostegia. It was named and described as such by George Bentham in Labiatarum Genera et Species in 1834. It was first described as Dracocephalum virginianum by Carl von Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.

Accepted Infraspecific Names Of Physostegia virginiana (2) (Updated on 12-20-23 from POWO): Physostegia virginiana subsp. praemorsa (Shinners) P.D.Cantino and *Physostegia virginiana subsp. virginiana (autonym). When an intraspecific taxon is named, an autonym (type specimen) is automatically generated that is closest to the original species. All have their own list of synonyms.

The genus, Physostegia Benth., was also named and described by George Bentham in Edward’s Botanical Register in 1829.

As of 12-20-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 11 species in the Physostegia genus. It is a member of the plant family Lamiaceae with 232 genera. These numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Physostegia virginiana is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where it is native and purple is where it has been introduced. The map is for the species and lower taxon combined. You can click on the link above to go to the maps for the subspecies.

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist.

THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

I brought my Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) home from one of the local garden club’s plant sales in the spring of 2016. This plant has been on my wishlist for many years so I was glad I found one at the plant sale. A lot of information online says this species can be somewhat invasive, but so far I haven’t had any problems with that. I put it where an invasion would be a good thing in a corner along the foundation of my grandparent’s old house.

Although Physostegia virginiana and the subspecies are native wildflowers in Missouri, I am not treating it as a wildflower because it is in a flower bed. I have never seen it in the wild although the Missouri Plants website says they are common throughout the state.

I notice the leaves of these plants can look a little weird sometimes. Like they have been frostbitten or burned…

This square-stemmed perennial gets the name Obedient Plant by the way the individual flowers will temporarily stay where you put them. Flower spikes (inflorescences) can be around 10” long are arranged in four rows. Flowers can be white, pink, and lavender shades and can have stripes or dots.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Lamiaceae
Origin: North America
Zones: USDA Zones 3a-10b (-40 to 35° F)
Size: 24-36” tall
Light: Sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained soil
Water: Average
Notes: Plants can flop in rich soil, too much shade, and hot temps.

<<<<2018>>>>

On February 18 (2018), I pushed back the leaves in the corner of the foundation and this plant was growing under the leaves. We had a very cold January and I was surprised. I am not sure when they started coming up

I brushed back the leaves on March 9 and saw what had become of the single plant I put here in 2017.

By April 13 more had come up.

LOOKING GOOD!

By June 3 the Physostegia virginiana was almost as tall as the foundation.

By the end of July the Physostegia virginiana was loaded with buds and the Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’ was loaded with flowers.

On August 11 the Obedient Plant is blooming up a storm while the Rudbeckia is begging to fade. Some of the upper leaves of the Obedient Plant turn brown and I am not sure why. It almost appears they were burned. I don’t water this bed that often and I rarely get the leaves wet when I do (especially on top).

Hmmm… The flowers seem to be white but they look pinkish in photos.

<<<<2019>>>>

The winter of 2018-2019 wasn’t near as cold as the previous year. We had a lot more snow but it never lasted long. I went to check to see what perennials were coming up on March 7 and the Physostegia virginiana were all alive and well. I wonder how many will be under the leaves when I remove them?

I removed the leaves covering the Obedient Plant on April 24 and saw how much they had spread. A few of the plants in the right side of the photo are Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’. I think the Rudbeckia has been here longer, and remember there was just one Obedient Plant to start with in 2017.

GEEZ! I am really glad I planted the Obedient Plant in this corner and not in a flower bed. The worse thing here is the Nutgrass (Nutsedge). There will always be a little Bermuda Grass to contend with as well because my grandpa planted in this area MANY years ago to help control erosion. It can be a pain in flower beds and is very hard to get rid of.

The Obedient Plant is almost as tall as the old foundation now. We have had a lot of rain in May, so it is really doing well.

MAN, this one plant has spread!

I am going to run out of words…

Some of the plants have a problem standing up…

You know this is just weird… In 2017 when they first flowered and in 2018, the flowers appeared to be white but when I took photos they had a pink tint. Now, in 2019, the flowers are DEFINITELY PINK!

I am not a “pink” person so whenever I have a choice I don’t bring home plants with pink flowers. I do have a few, I will admit, but that is because there was no choice. Well, I suppose I did have a choice in a way. I have a lot of cacti that have pink flowers but they bloom over a shorter period.

When I do wildflower research I take a lot of photos of the plant’s flowers, leaves, and stems. Physostegia virginiana is a native wildflower of Missouri and is native to around 3/4 of the United States and much of Canada. Since there is a subspecies, Physostegia virginiana subsp. praemorsa, this particular species “should be” listed as Physostegia virginiana subsp. virginiana. Anytime a subspecies name is described, an “autonym” is automatically created that is closest to the species which is called a “type specimen”.

Its tubular flowers can be white, lavender, or purplish-pink, and they often have dots, fine stripes, or swirls of a slightly darker color. The flowers have 2 lips, one upper and one lower. The lower lip is three-lobed. Flowers have no scent…

Leaves are lanceolate, sessile, glabrous, and grow opposite one another on the hairless stems. The leaves have sharp teeth along the edges.

The stiff, square stems are sharply angled and hollow. Plants produce multiple stems from the base but are usually unbranched below the inflorescence.

Some information says the plants can flop in rich soil, too much shade, and hot temps. Other sites say they need rich, moist soil. Well, once established, this species can grow in just about any soil, moist to dry.

As I mentioned earlier, this plant can supposedly become invasive if it is growing where in favorable conditions. There are several cultivars, including one called ‘Miss Manners’ which behaves itself and doesn’t wander.

I was fairly busy over the summer in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 so I didn’t take many plant photos around the house. I assure you, though, these plants are alive and well…

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. I would like to hear from you if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
DAVE’S GARDEN
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MISSOURI PLANTS
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
GO BOTANY
NC STATE UNIVERSITY