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Plant Profile

Florida Skullcap (Scutellaria floridana)

Scutellaria floridana flowers Photo Credit: Cindy Campbell

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Lamiaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 139891
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Scutellaria floridana (Lamiaceae) is a perennial, endemic herb, 1-2 feet tall with opposite leaves that are widely spaced along the stem. The flowers which appear from April-July, are blue-purple with a large white spot on the lower lip, and the calyx has a small cap, or scutellum, that persists beginning in June. Unlike most mints, it has no characteristic odor (FNAI 2000). Scutellaria species have been used in the traditional medicine of China, India, Korea, Japan, Europe and North America (Joshee, Patrick, Mentreddy, Yadav 2002). Today numerous herbal formulations containing Scutellaria are available on the market. S. floridana is not listed as one of the species used most likely due to its scarcity.

Where is Florida Skullcap (Scutellaria floridana) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Wet pine flatwoods, grassy margins of cypress stringers, seepage slopes, transition zones between flatwoods and wetlands.

Distribution:

Endemic to Apalachicola River lowlands in the FL Panhandle.

States & Provinces:

Florida Skullcap can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Florida Skullcap (Scutellaria floridana)?

Bok Tower Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

05/11/2023

According to a March 2023 extract of the Florida Plant Rescue Database, Bok Tower Gardens holds 1 accessions of Scutellaria floridana totalling approximately 764 seeds.

09/28/2020

Pollination (Pitts-Singer, Hanula and Walker)

09/28/2020

Seed Germination (Bok Tower Gardens) Vegetative Propagation (Bok Tower Gardens) Transplantation (Bok Tower Gardens) Pollination (Pitts-Singer, Hanula and Walker)

09/28/2020

Seed Germination (Bok Tower Gardens) Vegetative Propagation (Bok Tower Gardens) Transplantation (Bok Tower Gardens) Pollination (Pitts-Singer, Hanula and Walker)

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

A very restricted range in the Florida panhandle - Liberty, Franklin, and Gulf counties, Florida. Most of the recently confirmed populations are protected on the Apalachicola NF; populations on private land (largely St. Joe Paper Co. lands) are mostly destroyed. Habitat is decreasing in quality and extent due to conversion to improved pasture, drainage, and clearcutting.

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Conversion of habitat to slash pine plantations Residential and resort development Fire suppression Logging activity Invasives (Chinese tallow, Lygodium japonicum) Road right-of-way activities; widening, herbiciding, mowing, etc. Reduction of

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Thirty-two occurrences are listed in Gulf, Franklin and Liberty counties, Florida (FNAI 2008). Several large populations are protected on the Apalachicola National Forest but most populations on private lands have been destroyed by conversion to pine plantations. (FNAI 2000). Additional public land occurrences are located on the BLMs Lathrop Bayou Tract, the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve and Tates Hell State Forest. A 5-year status review will be completed in 2008-2009 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Seed Germination (Bok Tower Gardens) Vegetative Propagation (Bok Tower Gardens) Transplantation (Bok Tower Gardens) Pollination (Pitts-Singer, Hanula and Walker)

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Apalachicola National Forest: Under fire management. St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve: under fire management; application of frequent growing season fire to wet savanna areas where Scutellaria grows Tates Hell State Forest: Under fire management. BLM: no activity reported Private lands: None

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Determine the genetic variability among and within the populations Conduct demographic studies to determine population stability, increase, and decline. Determine habitat management requirements and develop management guidelines especially effects of differing fire frequencies and timing of application. Also effects of burning with corresponding drought/flood evetnts. Phenological life history needs to be quantitatively described. Conduct population biology studies. Additional pollination studies.

Cindy Campbell

01/01/2010

Collect seeds from each population in the wild and bring into cultivation at Bok Tower Gardens for reintroduction in the event of native population destruction and for research purposes Collect seeds periodically from native populations to establish populations for study and as seed sources for reintroductions Accession and store seed with the National Seed Storage Lab Genetic studies Develop optimal propagation protocols for both seed and vegetative reproduction