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Eastern False Dragonhead

Physostegia purpurea (fy-so-STEEJ-ee-uh pur-PUR-ee-uh)

Family: Lamiaceae Native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Eastern false dragonhead is a perennial in the Lamiaceae (mint) family native to the southeastern U.S.A. In NC, it can be found in the coastal plains and coastal areas in wet savannas, savanna-swamp ecotones and ditches adjacent to former pinelands in moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus. It is not salt tolerant. The purple flowers are somewhat showy with a long bloom season from May to August. They attract pollinators and hummingbirds. Use this plant in full sun in bogs, swamps or wet savannas in coastal areas.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 46 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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.

Fills a similar niche Cephalanthus occidentalis Clematis crispa Vaccinium corymbosum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Native Plant; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 6 in. | Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 2 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lance-shaped green leaves with slightly toothed margins
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower detail
5-lobed, 2-lipped pinkish-purple flowers with 4 stamens bloom from May to Aug.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Schizocarp
Fruit detail
Olive-brown fruit displays from June to September.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Square green stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern U.S.A.
Distribution
NC, SC, GA, FL
Wildlife value
This plant attracts songbirds, hummingbirds, and bees.
Attracts
Bees; Hummingbirds; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Schizocarp
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond; Riparian
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rain Garden; Water Garden
Garden tags
#native perennial #NC native #Piedmont Mountains FACW #food source hard mast fruit #food source nectar #food source pollen #hummingbird friendly #food source summer #Coastal FACW #bird friendly #Audubon #purple flowers #water garden #swamps #bee friendly #sandy soils tolerant #wet soils tolerant #boggy sites
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Wet Soil

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.