Flower profile
Obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
Obedient plant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Illinois it's most often seen in bloom in July–October.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Illinois
Quick look
Physostegia virginiana, the obedient plant, obedience or false dragonhead, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to North America, where it is distributed from eastern Canada to northern Mexico. Physostegia are known commonly as obedient plants because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position.
- 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 40 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois. NatureServe
- In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–October. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,788 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #54 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
Obedient plant gift ideas
Handmade obedient plant gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Obedient plant art print
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Obedient plant greeting card
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Obedient plant mug
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Obedient plant earrings
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Obedient plant embroidery pattern
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Obedient plant sticker
When does it bloom?
In Illinois, most flowering sightings come in July–October.
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
- Illinois
- Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. IL E&T checklist 2025
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: VT (S2). (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?
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
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 obedient plant in 40 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.
Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cook, Crawford, De Witt, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford.
More Illinois flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PHVI8.
- iNaturalist, Physostegia virginiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Physostegia virginiana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Illinois: Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist.
- Illinois: Illinois Official List of Exotic Weeds (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1100.30, Illinois Exotic Weed Act).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Physostegia virginiana (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.