Danny's skullcap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danny's skullcap |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Scutellaria
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| Species: |
tuberosa
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Scutellaria tuberosa is a cool flowering plant that belongs to the mint family. You might know it by its common name, Danny's skullcap. This plant is native to western North America.
It grows naturally in places like Oregon, California, and Baja California. You can find it all over the mountains and coastal areas there. However, it doesn't grow in the hot deserts or the Central Valley of California.
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Where Danny's Skullcap Lives
Danny's skullcap loves to grow in forests and woodlands. It also pops up in open areas. Sometimes, you'll see it growing in places that have recently been cleared by a wildfire. It's pretty tough!
What Danny's Skullcap Looks Like
This plant is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for many years. It grows a straight stem, or sometimes a bunch of stems, that can reach about 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) tall.
Roots and Stems
The plant grows from a special root system that has tubers. Tubers are like small, round storage parts underground, similar to tiny potatoes. The stems of the plant are covered in short, soft hairs.
Leaves
The leaves of Danny's skullcap are oval-shaped. They grow in pairs, one on each side of the stem, which is called being oppositely arranged. The leaves closest to the ground have short stems, called petioles, that connect them to the main stem.
Flowers
The flowers of Danny's skullcap are really interesting! They grow where the leaves meet the stem, which are called leaf axils.
Each flower sits in a cup-like structure called a calyx. This calyx has a cool ridge or a dome-shaped bump on its upper part. The flower itself is shaped like a tube, about one to two centimeters long. It has two main parts, an upper lip and a lower lip.
The upper lip of the flower is folded into a shape that looks a bit like a bird's beak. The lower lip has three wide sections. The flowers are usually a beautiful deep purple-blue color. Often, you'll see a white patch or speckles on the lower lip, which makes them even more unique!
