Chelone Obliqua
Chelone oblique, commonly known as turtlehead, is a stiffly erect, clump-forming perennial that typically grows 2-3’ tall. It is native to moist woods, swampy areas, floodplains, alluvial forests and stream margins in parts of the Midwestern and Eastern U.S. from Minnesota to Virginia south to Mississippi and Florida. Hooded, snapdragon-like, two-lipped flowers (each to 1.5” long) ranging in color from red to pink to deep rose bloom in tight, spike-like terminal racemes from late summer into autumn (late July – September). Each flower has a sparse pale yellow beard inside the lower lip. Flowers purportedly resemble the heads of open-mouthed turtles. Pairs of opposite, coarsely-toothed, lance-shaped, dark green leaves appear in pairs along the stem