Teucrium canadense (Hairy Germander) - photos and description
Stamens and pistil arching over corolla
Four stamens and pistil exserted between the two lobes of upper lip
of corolla
Inflorescence elongates with age
Colony
of many plants
General: Rhizomatous perennial plants, can form large colonies. Plants leafy, villous, with stems four angled. Plants with a decumbent to upright growth habit. Stems simple to branching above.
Flowers: The flowers are pink growing in terminal spikes. The corolla has a large lower lip with 2 ovate lateral lobes, and an upper lip divided into two narrowly triangular lobes. There are four stamens and a pistil that are exserted between the lobes of the upper lip. The lower lip with dark spots. We measured the corolla at 6-8 mm long outside of the calyx, 10 mm long if the calyx is peeled back. Calyx 5 mm long, purplish, with ovate lobes. We measured the lower lip at 4 mm wide.
Leaves: Leaves are opposite, lanceolate, petiolate, serrate. We measured a leaf at 65 mm long by 23 mm wide.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 75 cm, we measured plants to 29 cm tall.
Habitat: Steam banks, marshes, lake shores, and ditches.
Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
How to identify this species: Closely examine its flowers. The flowers of this species do not have an apparent upper lip as in other members of the Mint family. This species' upper lip is divided into two narrowly triangular lobes. It has four stamens which along with the pistil are exserted between the two lobes of the upper lip.
When and where photographed: We took the above photos September 14th on the shores of Wascana Lake in Regina, SK.