Scrophularia marilandica, also called late figwort, Maryland figwort, carpenter's square, or eastern figwort, is a flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native throughout eastern and central North America, where it is found growing in dry woods from Manitoba and Quebec south to Texas and Florida.
| Scrophularia marilandica | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Scrophularia |
| Species: | S. marilandica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Scrophularia marilandica | |
It grows 1.5–3 metres (4 ft 11 in – 9 ft 10 in) tall, with opposite, ovate leaves up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long and 9 centimetres (3.5 in) broad. The flowers are rounded, 8–9 millimetres (0.31–0.35 in) long, with a cup-like mouth that look somewhat like a horse's mouth with a bad overbite; they are a deep reddish-purple color on the inside, with a greenish to almost brown cast on the outside. They are commonly visited by hummingbirds in late summer.[2]
Past common names for Scrophularia marilandica have included heal-all, pilewort, and scrofula-plant.[3] It was once used in an ailment called "figs" to treat piles. During the 19th century, the root was used in an infusion to treat insomnia and anxiety.[4]
References
edit- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
- ^ "Scrophularia marilandica L." Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ^ Gentianaceae to Compositae; gentian to thistle. Dover Publications; 1970. ISBN 978-0-486-22644-6. p. 179.
- ^ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 796. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.