July 18, 2017

Lesser Scullcap


Not far from a the road that runs along a wet and slightly peaty area grows Lesser Scullcap (Scutellaria minor). It needs water and acidic soil to flourish and here, it finds both. In Perigord this kind of habitat is not very common, but in the open spaces of the Bessède forest you can find it. Flora here is very rich, and different from the plants you can find on dry Jurassic or Maestrichtian limestone soils that are more common in Perigord.








On the calyxes of the flowers of Lesser Scullcap grows, strangely enough, a kind of bump, whence its name. The little pink flowers are spotted with purple honey guides.