Description: This native perennial plant is about
3-6' tall, branching occasionally. The stems are often 4-angled or furrowed;
they are slightly hairy while young, but become glabrous with age. The opposite
leaves are up to 8" long and 3" across (excluding the petioles), becoming
somewhat smaller as they ascend
the stems. They are cordate-ovate to
ovate, serrated along the margins, thin-textured, and largely hairless. The
petioles are long and slender; each petiole is at least one-fourth the length
of the leaf blade. The upper stems terminate in an inflorescence consisting of
pairs of cymes up to 2' tall. This inflorescence is somewhat cylindrical. There
is usually a pair of slender bracts at the base of each pair of cymes. Each
flower is about ¼" long and has a short cylindrical shape. The exterior
of the tubular corolla is dull green, while its interior is predominantly
reddish brown. This corolla has a divided upper lobe that functions as a hood,
2 short side lobes, and a lower lobe that curves downward. All of these lobes
are reddish brown on the inside, except the lower lobe, which is green or
yellow. Appressed against the upper interior of this corolla, there is an
infertile stamen that is reddish brown or purple. The fertile stamens have
yellow anthers; they are located toward the bottom of the corolla. The tubular
calyx is green and shorter than the corolla; it has 5 blunt teeth. The slender
pedicels are longer than the flowers. The blooming period occurs from
mid-summer to early fall and lasts about a month; only a few flowers are in
bloom at the same time. Each flower is replaced by a globular capsule that
contains several seeds. The root system consists of a taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to
partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a soil that is loamy or slightly
sandy.
Range & Habitat: Late
Figwort is a fairly common plant that has been observed in most counties of
Illinois (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, sandy woodlands,
savannas, shady hillside seeps, woodland borders, thickets, and fence rows that
are overgrown with trees. This species tolerates minor to moderate levels of
disturbance.
Faunal Associations:
The small flowers contain abundant nectar, which attracts various long-tongued
bees, Halictid bees, wasps (including Vespid and Eumenid wasps), and the
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Halictid bees also collect pollen from the flowers.
The caterpillars of the moth Elaphria chalcedonia (Chalcedony Midget)
feed on the foliage, while Cosmopepla carnifex (Stink Bug sp.) sucks
juices from the stems. Little appears to be known about the ecological
relationships of Scrophularia spp. (Figworts) with birds and mammalian
herbivores.
Photographic
Location: Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois. A small colony of Late
Figwort was growing in a mesic area of this deciduous
woodlands.
Comments: The Figworts
have weird little flowers that attract many wasps and bees. They are not grown
in gardens very often because these flowers are not very showy (by human
standards). The only other Figwort that occurs in Illinois is Scrophularia
lanceolata (Early Figwort). This species is less common than Late Figwort;
it is restricted to northern Illinois. Early Figwort blooms a little earlier
than Late Figwort (hence their common names), although their respective
blooming periods overlap. The flowers of Early Figwort are a little longer than
those of Late Figwort, and they have sterile stamens that are yellow, rather
than reddish brown or purple (both of these are located along the upper
interior of the corolla). The seed capsules of Early Figwort tend to be ovoid,
while those of Late Figwort are more globular.