[Illustration: PRAIRIE SKULLCAP]
Stems usually 4-angled; leaves opposite; calyx 5-lobed, often 2-lipped;
corolla 4-5-lobed, usually 2-lipped; stamens 4 or 2, on corolla-tube;
fruit of 4 nutlets.
Prairie Skullcap (_Scutellaria resinosa_) turns its saucy flowers upward
and covers the dense clumps with a purple glow. The tubular flowers are
nearly an inch long and 2-lipped, with two short lobes forming the
velvety, arched upper lip and with three broad lobes forming the
spreading lower lip. The middle lobe is marked by a conspicuous white
spot dotted with purple. Numerous stems grow from a woody, perennial
root on rocky prairies and limestone slopes from Texas to Arizona and
Nebraska.
The many skullcaps in the state are easily distinguished from other
mints by the crest on the upper surface of the calyx. Most of them have
small oval or rounded leaves, and all have purple flowers. They get
their scientific name from the Latin word meaning “dish,” referring to
the shape of the calyx.
The mint family is a large one, well represented in Texas. The European
horehound (_Marrubium vulgare_) has become a pernicious weed in the
pastures of Central Texas. Rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, majoram, and
the mints are familiar members of the mint family.
[Illustration: SLENDER DRAGON-HEAD BRAZOS MINT]
Slender Dragon-Head or Lion’s Heart (_Physostegia intermedia_) has
spikes of delicate lavender flowers. The slender stems, 1-3 ft. high,
grow from perennial roots in moist soil on prairies from Texas and
Louisiana to Missouri and Kentucky from April to July. The physostegias
are rapidly growing in favor as garden flowers, as different species
will produce blooms throughout the season, if the flowering spikes are
cut and not allowed to seed.
Brazos Mint (_Brazoria scutellarioides_) is a lovely little annual found
on the plains of Central Texas. The plants are usually less than a foot
high and seldom branched, but the dense spikes of lavender flowers make
it quite conspicuous during favorable seasons. Although the name
indicates a resemblance to the skullcap, it might be mistaken for a
dwarf physostegia. The corollas have much the same delicate lavender
coloring, but the flaring calyx more closely resembles that of the Texas
salvia. It is also called twin-flower, wild lilac, and honey plant.
_Brazoria truncata_, with larger and paler flowers, is very abundant in
sandy soil in Central Texas, being especially common in Gonzales County.
This plant was first collected near the Brazos River, a fact
commemorated in the scientific name of “Brazoria.”
[Illustration: HENBIT PRAIRIE PENNYROYAL]
Henbit. Dead Nettle (_Lamium amplexicaule_) is a troublesome weed on
lawns everywhere in the state and in most of the United States. It is a
winter annual introduced from Europe and Asia. The flowers often begin
to bloom in December and continue until March or April. The stems branch
from the base, and the flowers grow in stalkless clusters with the upper
leaves.
Prairie Pennyroyal. Lemon Mint. Mexican Tea (_Hedeoma drummondii_) is a
low perennial plant characterized by the lemon-like odor of the foliage,
the narrow, tubular lavender corollas, and the bulging finely-ribbed
tubular calyx. The flowers and leaves are about half an inch long. The
low, bushy clumps grow on rocky plains and hillsides throughout Texas,
the flowers blooming during the late spring and summer. A tea made from
the foliage, either fresh or dried, is considered of value for its
soothing effect. A few leaves in iced tea add a piquant flavor. The name
is from the Greek and means “sweet smell.”
The American pennyroyal is _Hedeoma pulegioides_. The leaves and
flowering tops are collected in July and August and dried. It yields an
oil used in medicine.
[Illustration: PALE WILD BERGAMOT]
Pale Wild Bergamot (_Monarda fistulosa mollis_) is a very lovely member
of the horsemint group. The slender stems are branched at the top, each
branch having a terminal cluster of lavender flowers. The flowers are
tubular and two-lipped, 1-1½ in. long, the upper lip narrow and the
lower broad and three lobed. The upper lip is clothed with soft hairs.
The wild bergamot grows in the states east of the Rocky Mountains, and
several varieties are known. In Texas it grows in moist woods in the
eastern part and along streams in North Texas. It is a perennial which
is sometimes cultivated. The stems are usually about two feet high. The
leaves are short-stalked and lance-shaped, the margins having a few
short teeth. The leaves have a pleasant aroma and are used in flavoring
tea. Medicinally they are used as a stimulant and as a remedy for colic
pains.
The brilliant, scarlet-flowered Oswego tea (_Monarda didyma_) of the
Eastern States is not native to Texas. It is used as a substitute for
tea.
[Illustration: GREEN HORSEMINT]
Green or White Horsemint (_Monarda punctata_) differs from the wild
bergamot in having numerous clusters of flowers at the top of the stem.
These clusters are surrounded by many short, drooping floral leaves
which are blotched with white or occasionally have a purplish tinge. The
yellow corollas are dotted with purple and are about an inch long. The
calyx tube is ribbed, and the lobes are short and triangular. In growth
habit and shape of leaves it is very much like the purple horsemint, but
in flower it is readily distinguished by the yellow flowers and green
and white floral leaves. The plants are perennial, much-branched, and
somewhat downy. They are found in the Eastern and Central States and
bloom in Texas from late May to July.
Dwarf Horsemint (_Monarda clinopodioides_) is another horsemint of sandy
plains in Texas and Oklahoma. The plants are usually less than a foot
high. They have white corollas, and the short bracts are purplish-brown
with hairy margins. This horsemint is not so widespread as the green and
purple horsemint.
[Illustration: PURPLE HORSEMINT]
Purple Horsemint. Lemon Monarda (_Monarda citriodora_) is lovely not
only because of its dainty flowers but especially because of the floral
leaves or bracts surrounding the flowers. These bracts take on a
reddish-purple color and may be marked with white and green. The purple
varies from rosy tints to a royal hue.
The flowers grow in whorls or rosettes at the top of the stem, new ones
appearing with continued growth until there may be ten or more clusters
on a stem. The corollas are narrow, tubular, and two-lipped, varying in
color from lavender to white and commonly marked with small purple dots.
The tubular calyx has five very narrow lobes, which are hairy and as
long as the tube; the throat of the calyx is closed by a dense ring of
white hairs.
Growing in erect clumps one to two feet high, the plants form
conspicuous patches along highways and cover many pastures. The leaves
are short-stalked and narrowed at both ends, the margins being sharply
toothed. The purple floral leaves are oblong, with the midrib prolonged
into a slender bristle or awn. These numerous bracts curve downward and
overlap, the lower ones being longer.
The purple horsemint is common on plains from Mexico to Missouri and
Kansas and ranges eastward to Florida. It blooms from May to August but
is most profuse in June.
The monardas are North American plants named in honor of Nicolas
Monardes, a Spanish physician and botanist. Some are valued for their
perfume oils, and some have a slight medicinal value. The purple
horsemint is rich in nectar, but the honey produced is not of the first
quality. The dried plants are used in hens’ nests to drive off mites and
fleas.
Plains Lemon Monarda (_Monarda pectinata_) is the common horsemint on
the dry western plains in the state and ranges to Arizona and Nebraska.
The flowers are pink or white but are not spotted with purple. The
floral leaves are lance-shaped.
[Illustration: PRAIRIE SAGE RED SAGE]
Prairie Sage (_Salvia pitcheri_) grows in scattered clumps throughout
the central prairie region from Texas to Illinois and Minnesota. Because
of its sky-blue, tubular, 2-lipped flowers, it is one of the plants most
easily identified. The gray-green leaves have the characteristic sage
odor and can be used for sage tea. The plants are two to three feet high
and bloom from late spring to November.
Red Sage or Salvia. Indian Fire (_Salvia coccinea_) is a hardy plant in
cultivation and blooms nearly all the year. It is native to the Gulf
States, in Texas growing in woods near the coast. The red flowers are
nearly an inch long.
There are nearly five hundred salvias known. Three European species are
cultivated for their leaves, and many others are grown for ornamental
purposes. The common bedding salvia is _Salvia splendens_, native of
Brazil. The handsomest flower in the state is the red-flowered _Salvia
regla_, found in a few mountain canyons in West Texas. Cancer weed
(_Salvia lyrata_) is the common salvia of East Texas woods.
[Illustration: TEXAS SAGE BLUE SAGE]
Blue Sage. Blue Salvia (_Salvia farinacea_) is a lovely plant which is
native and abundant in the limestone regions of the state. It has long
been known in cultivation, being especially adapted for rock gardens and
highway plantings. It blooms with renewed activity after every rain from
April to November. The corollas are usually purple but vary to blue and
white. They have a narrow upper lip which is velvety with violet hairs
on its outer surface. The calyx is velvety with violet-gray hairs. The
stems grow from perennial roots and form clumps two to three feet high.
Texas Salvia. Texas Sage (_Salviastrum texanum_) blooms from March to
May, growing in a low bushy clump 12-18 inches high on limestone
hillsides from Central Texas to New Mexico. The spikes are densely
covered with lavender flowers about an inch long. Unlike the true
salvias, it has a flaring calyx which is densely bearded in the throat.