Scutellaria brittonii
{{Short description|Plant species in the mint family}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = scutellaria_brittonii.jpg
| status = {{TNCStatus}}
| status_system = TNC
| status_ref = {{Cite NatureServe |date=6 December 2024 |id=2.139956 |title=Scutellaria brittonii |access-date=24 December 2024}}
| genus = Scutellaria
| species = brittonii
| authority = Porter
| synonyms_ref = {{cite POWO |id=231029-2 |title=Scutellaria brittonii Porter |access-date=24 December 2024}}
| synonyms = {{Species list
| Scutellaria brittonii var. virgulata | Rydb.
| Scutellaria virgulata | A.Nelson
}}
}}
Scutellaria brittonii, also known at Britton's skullcap, is a flowering perennial native to Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Kansas in the United States. It is classified under the genus Scutellaria and is also part of the mint family, Lamiaceae.{{Cite web|title=Plants Profile for Scutellaria brittonii (Britton's skullcap)|url=https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SCBR3|access-date=2020-07-15|website=plants.usda.gov}}{{Cite web|title=Britton's skullcap - Encyclopedia of Life|url=https://eol.org/pages/484909|access-date=2020-07-15|website=eol.org}} It grows on dry mountain slopes and in full sun.{{Cite web|last=Southwest|first=The American|title=Britton's Skullcap, Scutellaria Brittonii |url=https://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/scutellaria-brittonii.html |access-date=2020-07-15 |website=www.americansouthwest.net}}{{Cite web|title=Scutellaria brittonii - Colorado Wildflowers|url=http://www.easterncoloradowildflowers.com/Scutellaria_brittonii.htm|access-date=2020-07-15|website=www.easterncoloradowildflowers.com}}File:Late season Scutellaria brittonii.jpgs|alt=|left]]
Description
Scutellaria brittonii is upright, growing anywhere from 4"-8" tall in a given season. Leaves grow opposite each other on a square stem and are long and thin. The veins on the leaf surfaces are long and extend almost the full length of the leaf, close to parallel to one another.{{Cite web|last=Southwest|first=The American|title=Britton's Skullcap, Scutellaria Brittonii |url=https://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/scutellaria-brittonii.html|access-date=2020-07-15|website=www.americansouthwest.net}} Flowers generally grow in an upwards direction out of a calyx. The calyx is reddish purple and has a slit in the middle out of which the flower grows. The upper lip of the calyx has a width-wise ridge on the top. The flowers are composed of a hornlike tube which curves up and then opens to form a hooded flower. The base of the tube is generally white, becoming more purple the farther it gets from the stem. The upper hood of the flower is narrower than the lower lip, which fans out below the hood. Flowers range from about 1"-1.5" in length and grow in clusters from the leaf nodes. All parts of the plant are covered in a myriad soft, short hairs.