downy skullcap, Scutellaria incana

Downy skullcap mostly grows in open woods. These inch-long blooms grow from calyxes that have a small flat lobe on top. That is the reason for Scutellaria and skullcap. Scutella in Latin is a small plate. For the common name, the calyx was thought to look like a medieval helmet or cap. Downy skullcap was used medicinally by the Cherokee, mostly for women's ailments. More recently, it has been used to treat epilepsy, skin and urinary infections, hypertension and chronic fatigue. Results may be something less than you would wish for. But if you believe strongly enough, maybe it will trump those problems. Downy skullcap grows in AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, and WV. Adams Co IN, 7/1/16. Mint family, Lamiaceae.