This US native, found in open rocky woods, rocky barrens and bluffs from Minnesota south to Florida, makes a 2′ wide patch of 2′ tall hairy stems, topped from May through September with heart-shaped green leaves and ending with 6″ terminal inflorescences of blue-purple flowers which resemble miniature snapdragons. S. ovata must be grown in well-drained soils to survive. In times of extreme drought, S. ovata may go dormant, but typically should flower all summer.
