General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome or rhizome-like base; stems erect, 20-100 cm tall, simple or branched above, 4-angled, glabrous.

Leaves:
Opposite, lower leaves reduced and deciduous, others linear-oblong to elliptic-oblong, 3-10 cm long, 5-20 mm wide, tips pointed, bases tapered, toothed; unstalked; leaves directly beneath inflorescence lanceolate or narrowly egg-shaped, rounded at base.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of many flowers scattered or crowded in elongate terminal and often axillary spikes, 2-8 cm long; flowers nearly unstalked, each subtended by an entire, more or less egg-shaped bract; corollas funnel-like, with enlarged throat, lavender-purple, 10-16 mm long, 2-lipped, the lips only 3-5 mm long, the upper lip entire, somewhat hood-like, the lower lip spreading, 3-lobed; calyces 4-6 mm long, somewhat inflated, obscurely 10-veined, finely hairy.

Fruits:
Nutlets, 4 clustered together, egg-shaped, smooth.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Dracocephalum nuttallii Britton
Physostegia nuttallii (Britt.) Fassett
Physostegia virginiana var. parviflora (Nutt. ex Gray) Boivin