• Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) native plant in bloom
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Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)

Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)

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$30 minimum per species for seed.

Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.

Pure Live Seed

Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.

Pure Live Seed (PLS) refers to the percentage of a seed lot that consists of the desired species and is viable (capable of germination).   

Here's why PLS is crucial for native seeds:

  • Accurate Planting:
    • PLS helps determine the actual number of viable seeds in a given weight or volume of seed.   
    • This ensures you plant the correct amount of seed to achieve the desired density and success rate.   
  • Cost-Effectiveness:
    • By knowing the PLS, you can avoid overspending on seed that may not germinate.
    • This is especially important for native seeds, which can be more expensive than some cultivated varieties.
  • Weed Control:
    • PLS helps minimize the presence of weed seeds within the seed lot.
    • This reduces competition for resources and ensures the successful establishment of the desired native plants.
  • Ecological Restoration:
    • Using high-quality native seeds with a high PLS is essential for successful ecological restoration projects.
    • It helps to re-establish diverse and resilient plant communities that support local wildlife.

Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.

0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces

  • 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
  • 0.25 pounds  = 4 ounces
  • 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
  • 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
  • 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) produces pink to lavender tubular flowers in upright spikes in late summer and early fall. The blooms open progressively up the stalks, above narrow, toothed leaves. Flowering stems can reach about 4 feet.

Grow it in full sun or partial sun with moist to average soil. Rich, moist conditions encourage vigorous growth, including underground rhizomes that send up new stems beyond the original clump. This spreading habit makes it useful in a naturalized planting but potentially difficult beside smaller, slower-growing plants.

In a small bed, expect to remove unwanted shoots or divide an expanding patch. Less fertile, well-drained ground can reduce excessive growth, though it does not guarantee a stationary clump. Stems can lean in shade or very rich soil; the flowers attract bees and other visitors.

Plant specifications & ecological relationships

Key growing facts

Sunlight Full to partial sun
Soil moisture Moist to average
Height Up to 4 ft
Bloom season Late summer to early fall
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Growth habit Spreads vegetatively by rhizomes; sometimes aggressive in moist sites
Root form Taproot; Rhizomes
Soil pH NC State lists alkaline, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established.
Cultivation hardiness zones Zones 2a–9b (NC State cultivation guidance)
Drought tolerance Lower leaves may yellow and drop during drought; overall tolerance is not rated

Plant identification & seed reference

Botanical name Physostegia virginiana
Other common names obedient plant; False Dragon Head; Obedient Plant; Virginia Lions-heart
Plant family Lamiaceae

Plant characteristics

This plant is medium in height.  A very showy and interesting plant for medium to wetter soils.  It gets the name "obedient" from its flowers that can be moved by hand and they will stay put.  Though it is called obedient, it can form dense colonies covering the ground. That's great if that is what you're looking for, however, this plant can be aggressive in smaller landscapes.

  • Flower Color White to Pink
  • Flower Time August, September
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest FACW
C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 4
Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 Yes
Native range — U.S. states Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin
County nativity Cook County, Illinois — native-remnant population documented in the 2000 survey. Partial county coverage; other counties have not yet been assessed here.
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates

Supplementary Illinois preserve records

Recorded Physostegia virginiana at Prospect, Weston. The plants below occur in the same named preserve inventories. This is evidence of shared preserve occurrence, not proof that every pair grows together in one microsite.

These mesic black-soil prairie inventories are from central Illinois: Loda (Iroquois County), Prospect (Ford County) and Weston (McLean County). They include introduced plants and are not county-nativity lists or planting recommendations.

Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlifeNo verified list yet

No additional named relationships have been verified for this listing.

Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions

What are the ideal growing conditions for Obedient Plant?
Physostegia virginiana performs best in full sun with mesic to wet (moist prairies & stream margins) conditions. It thrives in authentic regional soil types ranging from sandy loam to well-drained clay loams.

How do I germinate and establish Obedient Plant from seed?
Seed of Physostegia virginiana has a germination code of C(30). For best results, sow seed in late fall/winter for natural outdoor freeze-thaw stratification, or cold-moist stratify in refrigeration for 30 to 60 days before spring indoor propagation.

Is Obedient Plant deer and herbivore resistant?
Yes. Native plants adapted to Midwestern habitats naturally produce protective secondary compounds and fibrous textures that make them highly resistant to deer, rabbits, and other grazing herbivores.

When should I expect Obedient Plant to emerge and bloom?
Established plants break dormancy in spring as soil temperatures warm, developing vigorous foliage before blooming in their seasonal window to provide vital nectar when native pollinators need it most.

Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes

Chicago-region assessment: Wilhelm & Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region, via Kenneth Johnson’s Universal FQA dataset (2018). Chicago-region native status is separate from U.S. nativity.

The C-value and Chicago-region native status shown here also agree with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago Region FQA dataset (2017), distributed through the USACE/ERDC fqadata package under CC0.

Flora of the Chicago Region (2017) records this taxon as native in the Chicago region.

The state list describes native botanical distribution. It does not establish county nativity or occurrence, suitability for every site, or the origin of the plants and seeds offered here. An unlisted state is not proof of absence.

Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.

State and county nativity: The state list uses WCVP records marked native, excluding introduced, extinct and doubtful records. County evidence shown above is partial; a complete county-native list has not been verified. Presence in a county or preserve does not establish nativity there.

Preserve records: INHS inventories of Loda, Prospect and Weston prairies, compiled principally from records by Paul Shildneck, Kenneth R. Robertson and John Taft. Selected occurrence facts regrouped by Natural Communities; inventory native flags and 1997 Illinois C-values are not used for the assessments on this page.

Available Flora-linked Chicago assessments remain controlling. These regional ecology accounts supplement evidence not available for direct reuse from the Flora; they are not represented as Chicago Flora association lists.

C-value source: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), Universal FQA database 80. Matched source taxon: Physostegia virginiana. Exact.

View the C-value source

Sources checked September 5, 2026. Regional assessments and growing observations apply to their stated settings. Unverified fields are omitted; missing information does not mean an ecological relationship is absent.

  1. Illinois Wildflowers — John Hilty. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Bloom Season; Drought Tolerance; Height; Opening botanical description; Primary Native Habitats; Root Architecture & Depth; Soil Moisture Range; Spread Habit; Sun Exposure; Sunlight Exposure.
  2. Universal FQA — Flora-linked Chicago database 80. Taxonomic names, family and regional nativity originally checked against Kenneth Johnson’s Flora-linked database 80 (2018), citing Wilhelm & Rericha (2017). Limited factual identification only; the C-value follows this Flora-linked database wherever an exact or documented synonym match is available. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Botanical Name; Chicago-region native status; Plant Family.
  3. USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
  4. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Soil pH Range; USDA Hardiness Zones.
  5. USACE National Wetland Plant List 2022 — Midwest. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2022 National Wetland Plant List, Midwest region; effective February 13, 2024. Federal data. Supports: Wetland Indicator Status.

Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.

The linked Illinois plant relationships were reconciled with INHS-hosted source inventories on September 6, 2026. Same-remnant pairs were calculated from shared named-site occurrences and organized for this catalog; they are not copied narrative descriptions or proof of microsite compatibility.

Source names are retained where a current name or product match has not been verified.

County-native population evidence: Jack Shouba and Darrel Murray, Plant Survey of Wolf Road Prairie, 2000 field survey, Table 4. The report describes native plants in a Cook County prairie-and-savanna remnant and records this species with a positive population count. Selected locality and survey-year facts independently organized by Natural Communities; no source prose, historical C-values, abundance table or page images reproduced. This supports historical local nativity; present-day persistence and a complete county range have not been assessed.

Plant Shipping & Care

We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.

As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.

 

Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories

  • Retail - We only offer shipping & shipping is calculated at check out*
    • We do not offer retail pick up
  • Wholesale - Delivery is customized based on order size and location
  • Wholesale - Pickup is free

 

Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready

We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

Wholesale Orders

  • Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.

 

Retail & Website Orders

  • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
  • Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
  • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
  • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
  • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
  • Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
  • If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready.  In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments 
  • Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability.  We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish.  If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date.  If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
  • Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
  • Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.

Where We Ship

 

 

        What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

        • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
        • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

         

           Shipments

          • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

           

           

          What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

          • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
          • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
          • Water your plants
          • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
          • If you cannot install your plants immediately
            • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
            • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
            • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
            • No additional fertilizer is needed
          How to install native plugs

          Seed Shipping & Care

          There is a minimum order requirement of $30 for each seed species. Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.

          We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance.  We hope you find it helpful.  If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.

          Consultation Services

          Ecosystem Restoration Considerations

          Native Seed Establishment Best Management Practices

          Native Seed Stratification Best Management Practices

          View full details

          Solving a Site Problem? Get Expert Advice + Get Store Credit

          Whether you're fighting severe erosion, replacing invasive species, designing a pollinator haven, or seeding large acreage, choosing the wrong species wastes time and money. Talk 1-on-1 with a restoration ecologist to map out the exact species, plug counts, or seed mixes for your soil and goals. Book a consultation and get all or a portion credited directly back to your order.

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