''Scutellaria'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

family,

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

. They are known commonly as skullcaps. The generic name is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''scutella'', meaning "a small dish, tray or platter",''Scutellaria parvula'' var. ''missouriensis''.
Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium. University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. or "little dish", referring to the shape of the calyx. The common name alludes to the resemblance of the same structure to "miniature

medieval helmets In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

". The genus has a subcosmopolitan distribution,Ulloa, C. U. and P. M. Jørgensen
''Scutellaria''.
''Árboles y arbustos de los Andes del Ecuador''. eFloras. with species occurring nearly worldwide, mainly in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions.''Scutellaria''.
The Jepson eFlora 2013.

Description

Most Scutellaria are annual or

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

s from tall, however a few are

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

s. Some Scutellaria are aquatic. Scutellaria have four-angled stems and opposite

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, and flowers with upper and lower lips. The genus is most easily recognized by the typical shield on the calyx that has also prompted its common name.

Traditional use

Skullcaps are used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

, such as in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

. The root of '' Scutellaria baicalensis'' a common component of many preparations is marketed in volumes that have led to the

overexploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting or ecological overshoot, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to ...

of the wild plant. Its rarity has led to an increase in price, and encouraged the adulteration of the product with other species of ''Scutellaria''. In 1773, '' Scutellaria lateriflora'' became a common treatment in North America for the hysteria and hydrophobia caused by

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

. Today it is still a popular medicinal herb. It is widely available as a commercial product used in western herbalism. The plant reportedly commands prices of $16 to $64 per pound dry weight.

Constituents

The main compounds in skullcap are

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

s. Isolated chemical compounds include wogonin, wogonoside, and 3,5,7,2',6'-pentahydroxyl flavanone found in ''Scutellaria''. Other constituents include

baicalin As baicalin is a flavone glycoside, it is a flavonoid. It is the glucuronide of baicalein. Natural occurrences Baicalin is found in several species in the genus ''Scutellaria'', including ''Scutellaria baicalensis'', and ''Scutellaria laterifl ...

apigenin Apigenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), found in many plants, is a flavone compound that is the aglycone of several naturally occurring glycosides. It is a yellow crystalline solid that has been used to dye wool. Apigenin is abundant in parsl ...

, oroxylin A, and scutellarein.

Selected species

Estimates of the number of species in the genus range from around 300 to about 350''Scutellaria''.
Flora of China. or 360 to 470. Selected species include: *'' Scutellaria alabamensis'' – Alabama skullcap *'' Scutellaria albida'' *'' Scutellaria alborosea'' Lem. *'' Scutellaria alpina'' L. – alpine skullcap *'' Scutellaria altamaha'' – pineland skullcap *'' Scutellaria altissima'' L. – Somerset skullcap, tall skullcap *'' Scutellaria amoena'' *'' Scutellaria anatolica'' *'' Scutellaria angustifolia'' – narrowleaf skullcap *'' Scutellaria antirrhinoides''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

– nose skullcap *'' Scutellaria arenicola'' – Florida scrub skullcap *'' Scutellaria arguta'' – Blue Ridge skullcap *'' Scutellaria atriplicifolia'' *'' Scutellaria aurata'' *'' Scutellaria baicalensis'' Georgi – Baikal skullcap, Chinese skullcap *'' Scutellaria barbata'' D.Don – barbed skullcap *'' Scutellaria bolanderi'' A.Gray – Sierra skullcap *'' Scutellaria brachyspica'' *'' Scutellaria brittonii'' – Britton's skullcap *'' Scutellaria bushii'' – Bush's skullcap *'' Scutellaria caerulea'' – blue skullcap *'' Scutellaria californica'' A.Gray – California skullcap *'' Scutellaria cardiophylla'' – gulf skullcap *'' Scutellaria columnae'' *'' Scutellaria costaricana'' H.Wendl. – scarlet skullcap, Costa Rican skullcap *'' Scutellaria drummondii'' – Drummond's skullcap *'' Scutellaria elliptica'' Muhl. – hairy skullcap *'' Scutellaria floridana'' Chapm. – Florida skullcap *'' Scutellaria formosana'' *'' Scutellaria galericulata'' L. – common skullcap, marsh skullcap *'' Scutellaria glabriuscula'' – Georgia skullcap *'' Scutellaria hastifolia'' – spear-leaved skullcap *'' Scutellaria havanensis'' – Havana skullcap *'' Scutellaria hirta'' *'' Scutellaria hookeri'' *'' Scutellaria humilis'' *'' Scutellaria incana'' Biehler – downy skullcap, hoary skullcap *'' Scutellaria incarnata'' Vent. *'' Scutellaria indica'' L. *'' Scutellaria integrifolia'' L. – helmet flower *'' Scutellaria laevis'' – Culberson County skullcap *'' Scutellaria lateriflora'' L. – blue skullcap, Virginian skullcap *'' Scutellaria longifolia'' Benth. *'' Scutellaria longituba'' *'' Scutellaria meehanioides'' *'' Scutellaria mexicana'' *'' Scutellaria microphylla'' – littleleaf skullcap *'' Scutellaria minor'' Huds. – lesser skullcap *'' Scutellaria montana'' Chapm. – mountain skullcap, large-flowered skullcap *'' Scutellaria multiglandulosa'' – Small's skullcap *'' Scutellaria muriculata'' – Rio Grande skullcap *'' Scutellaria nana'' A.Gray – dwarf skullcap *'' Scutellaria nervosa'' – veiny skullcap *'' Scutellaria novae-zelandaie'' *'' Scutellaria ocmulgee'' – Ocmulgee skullcap *'' Scutellaria orientalis'' *'' Scutellaria ovata'' Hill – heart-leaved skullcap *'' Scutellaria parvula'' Michx. – small skullcap *'' Scutellaria pekinensis'' *'' Scutellaria potosina'' – Mexican skullcap *'' Scutellaria pseudoserrata'' – falseteeth skullcap *'' Scutellaria purpurascens'' *'' Scutellaria racemosa'' – South American skullcap *'' Scutellaria rehderiana'' *'' Scutellaria resinosa'' Torr. – sticky skullcap *'' Scutellaria rubicunda'' *'' Scutellaria sapphirina'' – White Pine skullcap *'' Scutellaria sarmentosa'' *'' Scutellaria saxatilis'' – smooth rock skullcap *'' Scutellaria serboana'' *'' Scutellaria serrata'' – showy skullcap *'' Scutellaria siphocampyloides'' – grayleaf skullcap *'' Scutellaria splendens'' *'' Scutellaria strigillosa'' *'' Scutellaria suffrutescens'' *'' Scutellaria texana'' – Texas skullcap *'' Scutellaria thieretii'' – Thieret's skullcap *'' Scutellaria tuberosa'' Benth. – Danny's skullcap *'' Scutellaria utriculata'' *'' Scutellaria ventenatii'' *'' Scutellaria violacea'' *'' Scutellaria viscidula'' *'' Scutellaria wrightii'' – Wright's skullcap

References

External links