Paired skullcap
Scutellaria scordifolia
Family: Lamiaceae
What it is like
A herb that keeps growing from year to year. It grows 15-50 cm high. It is hairy. It has creeping underground rhizomes. These have white opposite scales. The aerial stems can be simple or branched. The leaves are opposite and on short leaf stalks. The leaf blades vary in shape and size. They tend to be long and 2-4 cm long by 2-16 mm wide. The flowers are purplish-blue. They occur singly in the axils of leaves. The fruit are nutlets 1-2 mm long.
Where it is found
It is a cold temperate plant. It grows in deciduous broad-leaved forests between sea level and 2,100 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia
How it is used for food
The leafy shoots are used for tea.
Edible parts
Leaves - tea