MAD DOG SKULLCAP seeds Scutellaria
LATIN NAME: Scutellaria baicalensis
COMMON NAME: Baikal Skullcap
The skullcap raises its one-sided spikes of the small, hooded, blue-violet flowers, and the narrow leaves clothe the square stems. The upright, clump-forming, perennial herb carries the narrow, lance-shaped, toothed, softly hairy, green leaves on the square stems and the one-sided, racemose spikes of the small, hooded, two-lipped, blue-violet or purple flowers through the early summer, one of the fine, bright sights of the border, drawing the bees. The roots have a long record in the old practice of the warm East, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the border. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The skullcap is a historic subject of the plant science, and the hooded spikes keep showing up in the work on the aromatic sages. The way the one-sided, racemose spikes of the small, hooded, two-lipped, blue-violet or purple flowers form along the square stems has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the aromatic sages, the hooded-flowered herbs and the members of the mint family. The narrow, toothed leaves and the clump-forming habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the skullcap is a regular subject of the work on the hooded spikes of the early world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The skullcap is a fine, bright plant of the border and the study collection. The one-sided, racemose spikes of the small, hooded, two-lipped, blue-violet or purple flowers open through the early summer, one of the fine, bright sights of the border, drawing the bees, and the roots have a long record in the old practice of the warm East. It is one of the fine choices for the border, the herb patch and the study collection, and it has been written about in the botanical and the horticultural papers for the hooded spikes and the long record of use. It is a fine, bright plant of the open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained garden.
Give the young plants the deep, moist bed, and the hooded spikes will rise in the second season.
To grow the skullcap from seed, sow the small, brown seeds over the surface of the pot of fine, moist soil, without covering them, keep the pot in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings are up within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, moist, well-drained ground, the hooded spikes will rise through the early summer.
Scuttelaria lateriflora, also known as Mad Dog Skullcap, is a perennial herb in the mint family reaching up to two and a half feet in height. It has arrow-shaped, serrated leaves with blue to violet flowers, for which it is also called Blue Skullcap. There are are hundreds of species of skullcap with various medicinal properties. Mad Dog Skullcap is most widley known for its sedative properties, which have been used to alleviate anxiety, insomnia and nevousness. It has also been reportedly used to ease menstrual cramps. It is an ingredient in herbal teas and incense.