Leaf
Plenuska/Kräuterliesel, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
Also known as: False dragonhead
Family: Lamiaceae
60 to 100 cm tall
Moist beds and borders, humus-rich soil, partial shade to full sun
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its nickname "obedient plant" comes from a mechanical curiosity: each flower, once moved on its stem, stays in the new position it is given, like a small hinge.
🍃 Leaves
Opposite, lanceolate, toothed, bright green, on upright square stems typical of the Lamiaceae
🌸 Flowers
Tubular, pink to white, arranged in dense upright spikes
🍎 Fruits
Small, dry nutlet (achene), barely visible
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous plant
🗺️ Distribution
Native to eastern North America
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-rich flowers much visited by bees and bumblebees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Beds, damp borders and cut flowers; can become invasive through its creeping rhizomes
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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