Scutellaria siphocampyloides
Curve flowered skullcap
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Lamiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Scutellaria siphocampyloides (Curve flowered skullcap) is a native California herb in the Lamiaceae family, recognized by exceptionally large flower size.
Curve flowered skullcap is a California native perennial found in the Great Valley region, specifically in the Sutter Buttes, in open sites, seeps, dry stream beds, scrub, and woodland at elevations of 70 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces violet-blue flowers with a white-patched or white-spotted lower lip, reaching 25 to 35 millimeters long. Growing with slender rhizomes and stems 20 to 55 centimeters tall, it has delicate appressed-ascending glandular hairs. Its leaves are ovate to oblong, with basal petioles 10 to 20 millimeters long and blades featuring rounded to tapered bases and rounded tips. The fruit develops as a distinctive black seed.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species; key feature is exceptionally large flower size
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sites, seeps, dry stream beds, scrub, woodland
Elevation: 70-2500 m
California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Butte, Fresno, Mariposa, Ventura, Shasta, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Napa, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Nevada, Madera, Plumas, Lake, Humboldt, San Diego, Calaveras, Santa Clara, Merced, Glenn, Colusa, Alameda, Yuba, Sierra, San Benito, Sacramento, Amador, Santa Barbara
Bloom period
Scutellaria siphocampyloides blooms May-Jul.
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 siphocampyloides native to California?
Yes. Scutellaria siphocampyloides is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Scutellaria siphocampyloides bloom?
Scutellaria siphocampyloides blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Scutellaria siphocampyloides grow?
Scutellaria siphocampyloides occurs in Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Butte, Fresno, Mariposa, Ventura and other counties, at elevations of 70-2500 m.
What plant family does Scutellaria siphocampyloides belong to?
Scutellaria siphocampyloides is in the Lamiaceae family, genus Scutellaria.
What habitat does Scutellaria siphocampyloides grow in?
Scutellaria siphocampyloides grows in Open sites, seeps, dry stream beds, scrub, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Scutellaria sp. — Skullcap
- Scutellaria tuberosa — Danny's skullcap
- Scutellaria antirrhinoides — Nose skullcap
- Scutellaria bolanderi — Bolander's skullcap
- Scutellaria bolanderi subsp. austromontana — Southern mountains skullcap
- Scutellaria bolanderi subsp. bolanderi
- Stachys ajugoides — Ajuga hedge nettle
- Stachys albens — Cobwebby hedge nettle
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.