Overview
Correll’s false dragonhead (Physostegia correllii) is a rare, flowering plant characterized by purple-pink flowers and dark green leaves. It belongs to the mint family and is found in forested and herbaceous wetland habitats. There are 12 false dragonhead species, also called obedient plants in the genus Physostegia, that are native to North America. The common name comes from its resemblance to dragonhead plants (Dracocephalum spp.), which include 70 species identified by their colorful heads of dragons shaped flowers. The plant is typically about 1 meter or more in height and tends to grow parallel to the water’s edge.
Correll’s false dragonhead is impacted by disturbances like mowing, herbicides and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian habitat loss. Non-native plant species grow densely and overcrowd the obedient plant by reducing the amount of sunlight available to the soil surface. Correll’s false dragonhead is ranked as a G2 status, or imperiled, by NatureServe and was also included in a 2011 petition for listing of 404 species under the Endangered Species Act, which is now under review.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
Correll’s false dragonhead is a seed producing, flowering plant. Like most other Physostegias, it can also spread by large rhizomes.
Similar Species
Physical Characteristics
Correll's false dragonhead has dense spikes of tubular flowers, which are held atop sturdy stems in summer. The leaves of this species are toothed, widest in the middle and sessile, meaning that they are attached directly by its base without a stalk.
Measurements
Height: 3 ft
Correll's false dragonhead has dense spikes of purplish-pink, tubular, often speckled, flowers. The leaves of this species are almost always a rich dark green. Young stems are often marked with dark purple to purplish-red.
Habitat
Correll’s false dragonhead has been observed growing in the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian zone, meaning the transition between terrestrial and aquatic habitat, along streams and rivers. It has also been found in areas of human disturbance like irrigation ditches or roadsides. The plant grows in silty sediment, gravel, bedrock, sand and concrete or decomposed organic compounds. The most commonly associated riparian trees are bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).
Land on which the natural dominant plant forms are grasses and forbs.
A dense growth of trees and underbrush covering a large tract.
A considerable inland body of standing water.
A natural body of running water.
Areas such as marshes or swamps that are covered often intermittently with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.
Areas where ground water meets the surface.
Geography
Correll’s false dragonhead is found in and native to eastern, central and southern Texas, as well as coastal Louisiana and northern Mexico. It has been collected or noted in six to 10 counties in Texas and four parishes in Louisiana. Correll’s false dragonhead has been observed frequently in Travis County and along Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. While it is widespread, it is rarely encountered, with fewer than 15 occurrences known. Many historic populations have not been verified recently.
Timeline
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