Scutellaria galericulata
Marsh skullcap
(c) Benoit Renaud, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Benoit Renaud · licence
Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Scutellaria galericulata (Marsh skullcap) is a native California herb in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by wetland habitat requirement.
Marsh skullcap is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains (Tahoe Basin) and Modoc Plateau in wet sites, meadows, streambanks, and conifer forest at elevations of 1,000 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces violet-blue to blue flowers with white-mottled lower lips, approximately 15 to 20 millimeters long. Growing with slender rhizomes and stems 20 to 80 centimeters tall, the plant has stems that are glabrous or occasionally have very short hairs. Its leaves are lanceolate to narrowly oblong-ovate, with bases ranging from truncate to slightly lobed and tips that are somewhat acute. The fruit is approximately spherical and brown.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; key feature is wetland habitat requirement
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet sites, meadows, streambanks, conifer forest
Elevation: 1000-2100 m
California counties: Shasta, El Dorado, Tulare, Modoc, Plumas, San Joaquin, Siskiyou, Nevada
Outside California: to Alaska, eastern United States, circumboreal
Bloom period
Scutellaria galericulata blooms Jun-Sep.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.2
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 galericulata native to California?
Yes. Scutellaria galericulata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Scutellaria galericulata bloom?
Scutellaria galericulata blooms Jun-Sep.
Where in California does Scutellaria galericulata grow?
Scutellaria galericulata occurs in Shasta, El Dorado, Tulare, Modoc, Plumas, San Joaquin, Siskiyou, Nevada, at elevations of 1000-2100 m.
What plant family does Scutellaria galericulata belong to?
Scutellaria galericulata is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Scutellaria.
Is Scutellaria galericulata rare or endangered?
Scutellaria galericulata carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2, state rank S2.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.