Page author: David Giblin
Leonurus cardiaca
motherwort, Lion's tail
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Idaho and Montana; also in eastern North America.

Habitat: Disturbed ground, often in association with cities and towns where escaping cultivation.

Flowers: June-September

Origin: Introduced from Eurasia

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees

Description:
General:

Fibrous-rooted perennial herbs from a branched, woody base, the square, erect, clustered stems 4-15 dm. tall, with retrorse hairs on the angles.

Leaves:

Leaves opposite, all cauline, the lower soon deciduous, the principle leaves somewhat above the base, the blades palmately veined and cleft and again coarsely toothed, 5-10 cm. long and wide, loosely short-hairy beneath, the petiole equaling the blade; leaves reduced upward, narrower, less cleft, shorter petioles, the uppermost entire.

Flowers:

Flowers verticillate in the axils of reduced leaves; calyx tube firm, 5-angled, 3-4 mm. long, the 5 spine-tipped, narrow lobes equaling the tube, the 2 lower ones deflexed; corolla two-lipped, 1 cm. long, pale pink, the upper lip white-woolly, hood-like, enclosing the 4 equal stamens; the lower lip spreading, 3-lobed, the center lobe obcordate, the lateral lobes oblong; style 2-parted; ovary 2-celled, superior.

Fruits:

Fruit of 4, 3-sided nutlets.

Accepted Name:
Leonurus cardiaca L.
Publication: Sp. Pl. 2: 584. 1753.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Leonurus cardiaca L. ssp. cardiaca [Stace 1997]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Leonurus cardiaca in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Leonurus cardiaca checklist entry

OregonFlora: Leonurus cardiaca information

E-Flora BC: Leonurus cardiaca atlas page

CalPhotos: Leonurus cardiaca photos

5 photographs:
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