Prunella vulgaris

Common selfheal

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Common selfheal is a California native perennial found in various habitats across the state's diverse landscapes. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces blue-violet, occasionally pink or white flowers in compact clusters 2 to 6.5 centimeters long. Growing with stems 10 to 50 centimeters tall that are glabrous to short-hairy, it spreads with a low, somewhat sprawling habit. Its leaves are distinctively shaped, with lower leaves having petioles 5 to 30 millimeters long and blade sizes ranging from 2 to 7 centimeters, typically ovate to elliptic with wedge-shaped bases. The flower bracts feature distinctive ciliate margins with reddish edges, adding visual interest to this versatile and widespread plant.

California counties: Mariposa, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, Riverside, Del Norte, Mendocino, Sonoma, Tuolumne, El Dorado, Humboldt, Yolo, Modoc, Lake, San Francisco, Lassen, Marin, Butte, Los Angeles, Placer, Fresno, Trinity, Napa, Alpine, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Madera, Tulare, Nevada, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Diego, Calaveras, Alameda, Yuba, Glenn, Amador, Sierra, Mono

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.