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Scutellaria serrata Andr.
Showy Skullcap
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G4G5
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Moderate Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 2
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Mesic rich hardwood forest
Perennial herb with stems 10 - 24 inches tall (25 - 60 cm), 4-sided, mostly hairless and completely lacking glandular hairs. Its leaves are 1.5 - 5 inches (4 - 13 cm) long and 1.2 - 2.8 inches (3 - 7 cm) wide, opposite, with fewer than 8 pairs per stem; oval, with pointed tips, rounded or wedge-shaped (not heart-shaped) bases, and hairy, toothed edges. Leaf stalks are 0.4 - 1.2 inches (1 - 3 cm) long, hairy, with leaf tissue extending slightly down the stalk. The flower cluster is usually solitary at the top of the stem, the lowest pair of flowers with small leaves beneath them. The flowers are about 1 inch (2 - 3 cm) long, blue-violet, with an erect tube, hood-like upper lip, and pale, 2-lobed, spreading, lower lip with a white patch. A small green cup (calyx) with a conspicuous bump (scutellum) on the upper side surrounds the base of the flower; the calyx is covered with pointed, not gland-tipped, hairs. Fruits consist of 4 tiny nutlets enclosed by the calyx.
Showy Skullcap is distinguished by its more or hairless and non-glandular stem, flowers about 1 inch (2 - 3 cm) long, and its non-glandular calyx. Two other rare skullcaps with large flowers (> 0.7 inch, 2.5 cm long) occur in similar habitat in northwest Georgia.
Large-flowered Skullcap (Scutellaria montana, Threatened) is distinguished by its hairy stem which is covered with soft, gland-tipped hairs. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.a2hosted.com/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20397
Southern Showy Skullcap (Scutellaria pseudoserrata, Special Concern) is distinguished by the upper surfaces of its leaves which are covered with glandular dots, and by its stem which has glandular hairs below the second set of leaves below the inflorescence. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.a2hosted.com/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=19755
Ten species of Scutellaria are rare in Georgia:
Scutellaria altamaha (Altamaha Skullcap) occurs in deciduous woodlands over sandy or rocky soils in southeast Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=22389
Scutellaria arenicola (Sandhill Skullcap) occurred in sandy scrub in southeast Georgia; it has not been seen in Georgia since 1950. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=18230
Scutellaria drummondii (Drummond's Skullcap) occurs in Black Belt prairies in middle Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=32153
Scutellaria leonardii (Glade Skullcap) occurs on limestone cedar glades in northwest Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=16064
Scutellaria mellichampii (Mellichamp’s Skullcap) occurs in mixed hardwood-Spruce Pine forests over high-calcium soils on river bluffs. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15605
Scutellaria montana (Large-flowered Skullcap) occurs in moist hardwood and hardwood-pine forests with few shrubs in northwest Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20397
Scutellaria nervosa (Bottomland Skullcap) occurs in bottomland forests in northwest and lower Piedmont Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=16063
Scutellaria pseudoserrata (Southern Showy Skullcap) occurs in dry to moist mixed hardwood-pine forests just north of the western Fall Line and in northwest Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=19755
Scutellaria saxatilis (Rock Skullcap) occurs in rocky forests in the southern Appalachians. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=21356
Scutellaria serrata (Showy Skullcap) occurs in rich forests in the southern Appalachians. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=18063
Rich hardwood forests on slopes.
Showy skullcap is a perennial herb that reproduces sexually by seed; although it often grows in clumps and patches, it does not spread by stolons or rhizomes. Little else is known about its life history. Other skullcap species are pollinated by long-tongued bees and moths; wasps are known to cut holes in the base of some skullcap flower tubes and suck out nectar without carrying out the pollination that bees do.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (late April–early June).
Georgia, north to New York and west to Mississippi and Missouri.
Clearing, logging, and development in mountain forests. Invsion by exotic pest plants. Rooting by feral hogs. Deer browsing.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Agriculture & Aquaculture | None | None |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Scutellaria serrata is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in the state. Only one population has been documented in Georgia; it occurs in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Protect high-elevation and rich hardwood forests from logging and off-road vehicle traffic. Eradicate feral hogs. Reduce the size of Georgia's deer herd. Monitor rare plant sites for invasion by exotic pest plants.
Georgia’s plants are the southernmost populations of this species. Plants occurring at the periphery of a species’ range are thought to be of special conservation importance. Peripheral populations are usually smaller and less genetically diverse within the population, but genetically divergent from centrally located populations. These genetic differences may confer special survival traits that plants in other portions of the species’ range lack, such as the ability to survive changes in the climate or the arrival of a new pathogen. Peripheral populations may be in the process of evolving into a new species. They are especially deserving of conservation action.
Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of Georgia Press, Athens.
GADNR. 2020. Element occurrence records for Scutellaria serrata. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Gleason, H.A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, 2nd edition. New York Botanical Garden, New York.
NatureServe. 2020. Scutellaria serrata species account. NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159911/Scutellaria_serrata
Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
L.Chafin, Aug. 2008: original account.
D.Weiler, Jan. 2010: added pictures.
L. Chafin, May 2020: updated original account.
