Native Plants

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Sunday - September 02, 2007

From: Kaplan, LA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Rare or Endangered Plants
Title: Corrells false dragonhead
Answered by: Damon Waitt

QUESTION:

I live in South Louisiana. I saw in a recent local paper a picture of Correll's false dragonhead and the small caption under the picture states that this flower is rare and hard to find. I took some pictures of a flower in my yard that look very similar to the Correll false dragonhead. At first I thought the previous owner may have planted this particular flower. When I called her to inquire about it, she states she did not purchase nor plant this particular flower. I guess I am just wondering if this flower is hard to find and how can I get it identified. Thank You.

ANSWER:

According to the Center for Plant Conservation, Physostegia correllii (Correll's false dragonhead) once occurred in several areas in Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico but is now restricted to two or three sites in Louisiana and one possible site in Travis County, Texas. So....it should be hard to find. For help with identification, contact the primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants at the Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Garden.