Family: Scrophulariaceae
American figwort, early figwort, lance-leaf figwort
Christopher Noll
Damon A. Smith
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Scrophularia: named in 1474 by an Italian physician who noticed the resemblance between the rhizomal knobs of some species and the tubercular condition of human lymph nodes called scrophula
Plants: erect, perennial, 2'-6' tall forb; sides of stems flat or slightly grooved
Leaves: opposite, the stalk usually less than 1/3 as long as the blade
Flowers: red/brown, 5-parted, 1/4"-3/8" long, tubular-shaped; 4 stamens, the sterile stamen yellow; upper lip 2-lobed, the lower, yellowish-brown lip 3-lobed, its center lobe facing backward; inflorescence a 4"-12" terminal, cylindrical, branched cluster usually less than 3" wide; blooms May-Aug.
Fruits: dull brown capsule
Habitat: open; meadows, fields, wood edge; in rocky soil
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect, perennial, 2'-6' tall forb; sides of stems flat or slightly grooved
Leaves: opposite, the stalk usually less than 1/3 as long as the blade
Flowers: red/brown, 5-parted, 1/4"-3/8" long, tubular-shaped; 4 stamens, the sterile stamen yellow; upper lip 2-lobed, the lower, yellowish-brown lip 3-lobed, its center lobe facing backward; inflorescence a 4"-12" terminal, cylindrical, branched cluster usually less than 3" wide; blooms May-Aug.
Fruits: dull brown capsule
Habitat: open; meadows, fields, wood edge; in rocky soil
Conservation Status: Native
Forests (usually along trails and edges or in clearings) of aspen, maple-pine, oak-hickory, maple-basswood, oak-aspen, maple-spruce, oak-Jack pine, hemlock-hardwoods, even wetter woods with black ash. Also in fields, along roadsides and railroads, grassy riverbanks and streambanks, cedar glades, clear-cuts, mesic prairies, sedge meadows, barrens, cliffs, wooded lakeshores, thickets. Seems to thrive after some disturbance.
It can be difficult to tell our two species apart at times, but geographic location and flowering time are helpful. Scrophularia lanceolata starts blooming in May or June, whereas S. marilandica does not start until July. The former species ranges across the state, into the far north, but the latter rarely grows north of the Tension Zone.
It can be difficult to tell our two species apart at times, but geographic location and flowering time are helpful. Scrophularia lanceolata starts blooming in May or June, whereas S. marilandica does not start until July. The former species ranges across the state, into the far north, but the latter rarely grows north of the Tension Zone.
- sterile filament yellowish-green, often wider than long
- mature capsules 6-9 mm long
- larger leaf blades truncate to rounded at base, never cordate
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 4, Wetland Indicator = FACU+ Atlas of the Wisconsin Prairie and Savanna Flora: by T.S. Cochrane & H.H. Iltis: habitat, distribution infomation / flowering and fruiting times USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos
Damon A. Smith
Matthew L. Wagner
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson
