Shellflower is a herbaceous perennial in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) found in the wet, rich soils of streambanks and swamp forests of the central U.S.A. The genus name comes from the Greek word chelone, meaning tortoise in reference to the turtlehead shape of the flowers. It was recently moved from being a variation to a species. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide in partial shade to dappled sun. It prefers hummus-rich, moist to wet, acid soils but is adaptable to any fertile, moist garden soil in sunny to shady locations. Propagation is by seed, cuttings or division. The pinkish flowers resemble snapdragons and appear in late summer to fall. They are two-lipped with the upper lip hood-like and the lower lip with three lobes and a patch of white or yellow hairs inside. Use Shellflower in the water garden, pollinator garden and around ponds, streams, bogs and wet meadows. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
6-7 inches long by 2-2.5 inches wide lance-shaped green leaves with toothed margins. Undersurface is paler green.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1-1.5 inch pink to lavender 2-lipped blooms on spike-like clusters. The upper lip has the shape of a broad hood, while the lower lip has 3 outer lobes. There is a patch of white or pale yellow hairs behind the lower lip. Blooms late summer to early fall.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/2 inch long oval seed capsule spits to release seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Smooth light green stems, usually unbranched unless broken.