Hello everyone! I'm new here at DG and just found this forum. I posted a plant at the Plant Identification forum, but it is a herb so maybe I'll have better luck here. I just bought it today and it has long, woody, trailing stems and very unique blue flowers. It is supposed to have sedative properties to help calm, relax, and sleep. It has absolutely no fragrance whatsoever. I'll add a photo of the flowers here and then one of the leaves right after this posting.
These are the leaves that go with the blue flowers in the preceding posting.
If the leaves are pinched, do they have an odor?
If I were to guess looks like a skullcap.
Leaves don't look just but close maybe the Chinese skulcap.
Scutellaria Latin name had to go look up spelling , the plant files here have many listed don't know what one but you can get some general information there.
I did read it is the root that is used and needs to be three years old for maturity.
Sorry I should have more clear in my description. Neither the leaves nor the flowers have any discernible scent. I tried the "pinch test" before I bought it, to see if it would tell me anything.
In my investigation, I have started narrowing it down to scutellaria but still haven't found a good photo that shows the flowers and foliage. I will check out the PlantFiles here however.
Thank-you podster and gardengus!
This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 1:33 PM
This is not skullcap. Nor Chinese skullcap. But, I don't know what it is...
herbalbetty: Thanks for your help. I thought I had narrowed it down, but the leaves were still causing lots of doubt. Actually the flowers as well, lol! I appreciate knowing you think I'm on the wrong track so will try another one. Someone should recognize that very unique flower with the strange feather-like markings!
And this is Chinese skullcap - Scutellaria baicalensis
I agree herbalbetty. It doesn't seem to be a skullcap, at least none of the hundreds I've checked out thus far! Do you think it is at least in the lamiaceae family?
Vanillaman, it's not in the lamiaceae family. They don't have the trailing growth. Have you tried on the tropical flowers list for identification help?
Whatever plant you have, it is pretty!
Thanks again for helping herbalbetty! I have a thread going on the Plant Identification forum, but not getting too many bites there either. You're welcome to some seeds once I start harvesting some!
Thanks Vanillaman. I would love some seeds. Now, to figure out what it is! Are there seeds you are looking for in trade?
Yes, I have a Tradelist but it keeps growing almost daily. I keep thinking of new things I would like and also bring home new seeds I find or that ripen on my plants. I will be away the rest of this week because I'm going to Nicaragua to collect seeds in the jungle, etc. Hopefully my little plant will have a name soon. I'm hoping for a reply from Richter's Herbs in Canada. There are some experts there who should know it.
Vanillaman-look up Valerian and see if that might be it.
Thank-you Nedhudson1, but it's not valerian. That was the first thing that came to mind when I bought the plant, mainly because of it's medicinal properties and what it's used for. Unfortunately, it doesn't resemble it even remotely, lol. My two photos are at the beginning/top of the thread.
Thanks for your suggestion though!
Ok I was looking at a herb sight that had a poor photo of a plant I have never heard of, but it looked (maybe ) like yours. Justica pectoralis
They called it Tilo the west indians make a tea out of it for insomnia.
I found a botanical image in the web sight for golden guide to hallucinogenic plants.
If you google the name plus image several come up
maybe??
BINGO! Thanks so much gardengus. Unbelievable! It is one of the last plants on the planet I would have even considered - justicia pectoralis. It's nothing like the other justicias that are common tropical ornamentals! I'm flabbergasted and didn't think this one would ever be solved. Thanks again - case closed!
By the way, it isn't hallucinogenic but does contain coumarin, which is a blood-thinner and the rat poison of choice.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2008 9:35 PM
