Scutellaria is a genus of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the mint

Mentha

Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...

 family, Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...

. It contains about 300 species, which are commonly known as skullcaps. The generic name is derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 word
scutella, meaning "a small dish," referring to the shape of the calyx

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...

.

Description

The genus is widespread in temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 regions and on tropical

Tropics

The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately  N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at  S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...

 mountains.

Most are annual

Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...

 or perennial

Perennial plant

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...

 herbaceous plant

Herbaceous plant

A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...

s from 5 to 100 cm (2 to 39.4 in) tall, but a few are subshrub

Subshrub

A subshrub or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting...

s; some are aquatic

Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...

. They have four-angled stems and opposite leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

. The flowers have upper and lower lips. The genus is most easily recognized by the typical shield on the calyx that has also prompted its common name.

Medicinal Use

Scutellaria root (Huang Qin, Radix Scutellaria Baicalenses) has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...

 to support the immune system.
In related research, Baicalein, a major flavonoid in Scutellaria was shown to support cardiovascular health. Research shows that Scutellaria root modulates inflammatory activity to inhibit nitric oxide (NO), cytokine, chemokine and growth factor production in macrophages. Scutellaria has also been shown to inhibit histamine and leukotriene release.

Selected species

Scutellaria albida Scutellaria alborosea Scutellaria alborosea Scutellaria alborosea is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-Source:* Montúfar, R. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007.... Lem. Charles Antoine Lemaire Charles Antoine Lemaire , was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae.... Scutellaria alpina L. – Alpine Skullcap Scutellaria altissima L. Scutellaria antirrhinoides Scutellaria antirrhinoides Scutellaria antirrhinoides is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names nose skullcap and snapdragon skullcap. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in forests, woodlands, and open, rocky habitat types... Benth. George Bentham George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :... – Nose Skullcap Scutellaria atriplicifolia Scutellaria aurata Scutellaria baicalensis Scutellaria baicalensis Scutellaria baicalensis is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.-Medicinal uses:... Georgi – Baikal SkullcaP Scutellaria barbata Scutellaria barbata Scutellaria barbata is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Other names include ban zhi lian , scullcap or skullcap, barbat skullcap, skute barbata, or herba scutellariae barbatae.-Chemical constituents:... D.Don – Barbat Skullcap Scutellaria bolanderi Scutellaria bolanderi Scutellaria bolanderi is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Sierra skullcap. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the Sierra Nevada and several of the mountain ranges to the south. It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem or cluster of... A.Gray Asa Gray -References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001.... – Sierra Skullcap Scutellaria californica Scutellaria californica The California skullcap is a species of plant endemic to California. It is found in the scrub and low elevation mountains of Northern California.... A.Gray – California Skullcap Scutellaria columnae Scutellaria costaricana Scutellaria costaricana Scutellaria costaricana is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that is native to Costa Rica and Panama. It is commonly known Scarlet Skullcap or Costa Rican Skullcap and is a popular tropical houseplant.... H.Wendl. Hermann Wendland Hermann Wendland was a German botanist and gardener.He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae , on which he published a major monograph which formed the basis for the modern classification of the family, including many of the generic names currently in use.The South American palm genus... – Scarlet Skullcap or Costa Rican Skullcap Scutellaria elliptica Muhl. Scutellaria floridana Scutellaria floridana Scutellaria floridana is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common name Florida skullcap. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is known only from the Florida Panhandle. It is threatened by a number of human activities and its small population sizes make it vulnerable... Chapm. – Florida Skullcap Scutellaria formosana Scutellaria galericulata Scutellaria galericulata Common Skullcap , also known as Marsh Skullcap or Hooded Skullcap, is a hardy perennial herb native to northern areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, and much of North America. It is a member of the mint family... L. – Common Skullcap or Marsh Skullcap Scutellaria hastifolia – Spear-leaved Skullcap Scutellaria hirta Scutellaria incana Scutellaria incana Scutellaria incana, also Downy Skullcap, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is native to North America. It is a perennial and is primarily found in the eastern United States as well as some parts of the Midwest.... Biehler – Downy Skullcap

Scutellaria incarnata Vent. Scutellaria indica L. Scutellaria integrifolia L. Scutellaria lateriflora Scutellaria lateriflora Scutellaria lateriflora, also known as Blue Skullcap, Hoodwort, Virginian Skullcap, Mad-dog Skullcap is a hardy perennial herb native to North America. It is a member of the mint family. It has an upright habit, growing 60 to 80 centimeters in maximum height. It is a wetland-loving species and... L. – Blue Skullcap, Virginian Skullcap Scutellaria longifolia Benth. Scutellaria longituba Scutellaria minor Huds. – Lesser Skullcap Scutellaria montana Chapm. – Mountain Skullcap or Large-flowered Skullcap Scutellaria nana Scutellaria nana Scutellaria nana is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name dwarf skullcap or dwarf scullcap. It is native to the western United States, especially in and around the Great Basin. It grows in plateau scrub, often on volcanic soils. It is a small perennial herb... A.Gray – Dwarf Skullcap Scutellaria orientalis Scutellaria ovata Scutellaria ovata Scutellaria ovata, commonly known as the heart-leaf skullcap, is a member of the mint family. Its range in the United States is from Minnesota to Florida, and from Kansas to the Atlantic coast, although the plant is listed as threatened in Minnesota and was considered "probably extirpated" from... Hill – Heart-leaved Skullcap Scutellaria parvula Michx. – Small Skullcap Scutellaria purpurascens Scutellaria resinosa Torr. – Sticky Skullcap Scutellaria rubicunda Scutellaria siphocampyloides Scutellaria siphocampyloides Scutellaria siphocampyloides is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name grayleaf skullcap. It is endemic to California, where it is widespread throughout the mountain and coastal regions; it is absent from the deserts and the Central Valley. It can be found in... – Grayleaf Skullcap Scutellaria splendens Scutellaria tuberosa Scutellaria tuberosa Scutellaria tuberosa is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Danny's skullcap. It is native to western North America from Oregon through California to Baja California, where it is widespread throughout the mountain and coastal regions; it is absent from the... Benth. – Danny's Skullcap Scutellaria ventenatii Scutellaria violacea

External links

• Scutellaria images on MorphBank, a biological image database
• Pictures of Skullcap as a medicine