Minnesota Wildflowers


or try: advanced plant search
Share |

Dracocephalum parviflorum (American Dragonhead)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Dracocephalum
Family:Lamiaceae (Mint)
Life cycle:annual, short-lived perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; dry gravelly soil, fields, open woods, waste areas
Bloom season:May - August
Plant height:8 to 30 inches
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

Pick an image for a larger view. Most image enlargements are 50-100KB, though some may be larger. See the glossary for icon descriptions.

Detailed Information

Flower: irregular tubular spike

[photo of flowers] Flowers are in a thick spike 1 to 4 inches long at the top of the stem and at the end of stems branching from the leaf axils near the top of the plant. Individual flowers are about ¼ inch long, pale blue-violet, tubular with a notched upper lip and a 3-lobed lower lip. The bracts are long, hairy, sharply toothed with spines at the tooth tips.

Leaves and stem: opposite simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, light to yellowish green, with large, coarse sharp teeth, a pointed tip, rounded or tapered at the base and a slender leaf stem. Attachment is opposite and there are often small leaflets clumped in the leaf axils. The main stem is square and smooth.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN June-July 2008

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Shelly in Cottonwood Cty-Jeffers Petroglyphs Tall Grass Prairie
on: 2010-07-17 12:09:41

Thanks for having the information about this plant on your site. Just found some specimens this year and was trying to figure out what it was. Now I have found enough of the plant to take a specimen to verify it with the DNR.

Posted by: sandra in eckles township/ bemidji
on: 2011-06-27 18:29:07

This was growing alongside road in horse pasture. pretty and great addition to my arrangements.

Post a comment

Note: All comments are moderated before posting to keep the riff-raff out. An email address is required, but will not be posted—it will only be used for information exchange between the 2 of us (if needed) and will never be given to a 3rd party without your express permission.

For info on subjects other than plant identification (gardening, invasive species control, edible plants, etc.), please check the links and invasive species pages for additional resources.



(required)




Note: Comments or information about plants outside of Minnesota may not be posted because I’d like to keep the focus of this web site on Minnesota. Thanks for your understanding.