Mad-dog Skullcap

Scutellaria lateriflora

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Prochoreutis inflatella, Scrobipalpa scutellariaeella, Capperia evansi
S14 all Nearctic records
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds consumed by Ring-Necked Pheasant. Seed capsules split into nutlets that may persist into early winter on dried stems.
S10 pheasant eats seeds; S57 Common Ground Dove diet records at genus level

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure across its range (G5 globally, N5 nationally). Not SARA-listed. Ranked S5 in Ontario and S4 in Quebec. Common in the Ottawa-Hull area according to both historical and modern flora surveys.
S22 G5, N5; S26 not SARA-listed; S63 Common; S62 Common
Rarity Ranks: QC S4 – Apparently Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Obligate wetland species of swamps, marshes, moist sedge meadows, floodplain woodlands, and boggy thickets. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it inhabits mineral-rich fens, hardwood swamp edges, and shoreline margins. Typically found in partially shaded wetland areas where it forms small rhizomatous colonies. Benefits from disturbance that reduces woody canopy density.
S10 habitats and disturbance ecology; S7 shaded wet habitats; S61 marshes, swamps, wetland margins; S48 Hull specimen in wet hardwood swamp

Roles: Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: Pairs well with other wetland perennials in moist guild plantings. OWSL lists it alongside turtlehead, blue flag iris, closed bottle gentian, water avens, and hanging bulrush as complementary species for wet garden designs. Can serve as a ground-level herb layer beneath taller wetland forbs.
S3 complementary plants and wetland garden suitability

Category: Nervine, Sedative, Antispasmodic, Tonic, Astringent, Diuretic, Emmenagogue
S29 PFAF medicinal uses; S28 Moerman Drug categories
Notes: Widely used nervine in traditional and modern herbal medicine. Cherokee used root infusions for menstrual regulation, diarrhea, breast pain, kidney complaints, and to expel afterbirth. Iroquois used powdered root infusion to prevent smallpox and keep throat clean. Modern herbalism values it as a sedative and anti-anxiety treatment for epilepsy, insomnia, neuralgia, and delirium tremens. Contains proven sedative and antispasmodic flavonoids including scutellarin and baicalin.
S28 Cherokee and Iroquois uses; S29 nervine sedative; S61 sedative and anti-anxiety; S31 scutellarin chemistry

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented food uses. PFAF edibility rating 0 out of 5. Moerman lists only medicinal (Drug) uses for Cherokee and Iroquois peoples, with no food category entries.
S29 edibility=0/5; S28 categories=Drug only