Mint, Dragonhead - Dracocephalum parviflorum

(American Dragonhead)

Family: Mint (Lamiaceae) Native

Location

On the church wall (N35D32'59.459 X W105D41'20.910)


Flowers first observed: 5/22/2017


The Plant w/Flowers

The Flowerhead

The Flower


Distribution

"(It) is a wild North American mint growing across much of the United States (especially in the Great Lakes region and in the deserts and mountains of the West), as well as much of Canada and Alaska.[2][3]" (Wikipedia)


Description

"Taprooted, short-lived, 2-8 dm, inconspicuously short-hairy; lvs petiolate, the blade mostly lance-elliptic to broadly lance-triangular, 2.5-8 נ1-2.5 cm, coarsely serrate; infl dense and spike-like, 1.5-3.5 cm thick, often interrupted below, the terminal segment 2-10 cm; bracts subfoliaceous, mostly 1-3 cm sessile or nearly so, aristately few-toothed; cal 1 cm, the tube about equaling the aristate-tipped lobes; cor purplish, barely surpassing the cal, with short lips; 2n=14. Dry soil; Que. to Alas., s. to n. N.Y., Ill., and Ariz. May-July."(SEINet)


Ethnobotanical Uses

Food:

"Apache, Chiricahua & Mescalero Spice Leaves used as flavoring. Gosiute Unspecified Seeds used for food." (Moerman 203)

Medicine:

"Navajo, Kayenta Antidiarrheal Plant used for infants with diarrhea. Panacea Plant used as a life medicine. ---Navajo, Ramah Endoskeletal, compound infusion of leaves taken for headache. Eye Medicine Cold infusion of leaves used as an eyewash. Febrifuge Cold, compound infusion of leaves taken for fever." (Moerman 203)


Internet Links