Flower profile

Helmet skullcap

Scutellaria integrifolia

Helmet skullcap (Scutellaria integrifolia) is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Helmet skullcap is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

23states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

7,734U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Scutellaria integrifolia, commonly called helmet flower or helmet skullcap, is a flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to the eastern United States where it is found in openings in mesic, acidic soil. It likely requires disturbance in the form of fire to maintain its appropriate habitat.
From Wikipedia's article Scutellaria integrifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 23 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 432 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #89 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 374 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #72 among the 154 flowers on our Mississippi list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 372 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #106 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,153 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
South Carolina	Native	few records (25)	432
Mississippi	Native	April–May	374
Louisiana	Native	few records (24)	372

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CT (S1), MA (S1), NY (S1), OK (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records helmet skullcap in 23 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Cherokee, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, York.

Mississippi counties with USDA records: Adams, Amite, Attala, Benton, Calhoun, Clarke, Clay, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Pontotoc, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tishomingo, Walthall, Wayne, Winston.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lincoln, Livingston, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Carroll, Winn.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 561 counties across 21 states; the most are in Virginia (78), North Carolina (69), Florida (51).

Other Scutellaria on Bloomipedia (3): Paperbag bush, Heart-leaved skullcap, South American skullcap.

More from the Lamiaceae family (44 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common selfheal, Ground-ivy, Red deadnettle, American beautyberry, Henbit deadnettle, Wild bergamot, Lyreleaf sage, American germander.

More South Carolina flowers

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in SC: June–July

Lyreleaf sage

Salvia lyrata

Native

🌼 Blooms in SC: March–April

Henbit deadnettle

Lamium amplexicaule

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in SC: January–March

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SCIN2.
iNaturalist, Scutellaria integrifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Scutellaria integrifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Scutellaria integrifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Becky Dill via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.