Scutellaria bolanderi
Bolander's skullcap
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Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Scutellaria bolanderi (Bolander's skullcap) is a native California herb in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by distinctive white flowers with blue spots.
Bolander's skullcap is a California native perennial found in coastal and montane habitats from low to moderate elevations. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces white flowers with distinctive blue-spotted lower lips, each bloom 13 to 19 millimeters long. Growing with slender rhizomes and spreading stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, the plant has glandular hairs and an upright, somewhat branching form. Its leaves are ovate to heart-shaped with rounded tips, featuring crenate edges and bases that range from truncate to slightly lobed. The fruit develops dark brown to black in color, complementing the plant's delicate white and blue floral display.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; distinctive white flowers with blue spots
Habitat and range
California counties: Tuolumne, Madera, Tulare, Fresno, Calaveras, Kern, Nevada, San Diego, Riverside, Mariposa, Sierra, Santa Clara, Amador, San Joaquin, Humboldt, El Dorado, Stanislaus
How to tell it apart
vs Salvia: Salvia has only 2 stamens with a see-saw lever connective and often aromatic foliage; Scutellaria has 4 stamens and a smooth rounded crest (the 'skullcap') on top of the calyx.; vs Stachys: Stachys is hairy and aromatic with flowers in whorled clusters above a 5-toothed bell calyx; Scutellaria bears flowers in axillary pairs and a 2-lipped calyx with a distinctive dorsal hump.; vs Prunella: Prunella packs its flowers into a dense terminal head with leafy bracts and a flat-topped calyx; Scutellaria has paired axillary flowers and a crested, lidded calyx.; vs Monardella: Monardella is strongly aromatic with flowers in dense terminal heads; Scutellaria is scarcely aromatic with solitary paired flowers and the crested calyx.; vs Marrubium: Horehound has wrinkled woolly leaves and a 10-toothed hooked calyx in dense whorls; Scutellaria has the smooth 2-lipped crested calyx and paired flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Scutellaria bolanderi native to California?
Yes. Scutellaria bolanderi is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Scutellaria bolanderi grow?
Scutellaria bolanderi occurs in Tuolumne, Madera, Tulare, Fresno, Calaveras, Kern, Nevada, San Diego and other counties.
What plant family does Scutellaria bolanderi belong to?
Scutellaria bolanderi is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Scutellaria.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.