Scutellaria Diffusa

Scutellaria diffusa is a little-known spreading skullcap from western and central Asia. Low branching stems and small opposite leaves form a neat mat, while summer brings short two-lipped flowers in blue to violet tones, each subtended by the helmet-like calyx that gives the genus its common name. Adapted to rocky slopes and open mountain ground, it has the compact habit required for a trough, scree or border edge. Rare in cultivation, it is best grown lean, labelled carefully and observed as a collector's alpine.