Common motherwort

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Motherwort

Common motherwort

Motherwort

Motherwort leaf

Motherwort

Motherwort

Motherwort leaves

Motherwort inflorescence

Morphology

Stem

Ascending to erect, simple or branched above, square in cross section, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Leaves

Cauline, opposite, simple; petiole .4 to 2 inches; blade ovate to suborbiculate, .8 to 4.7 inches long, .8 to 4.3 inches wide, base truncate to cuneate, margins of lower leaves palmately 3- or 5-lobed and coarsely serrate, margins of upper leaves 3-lobed or merely coarsely serrate, tip acute, lower surface sparsely pubescent, upper surface glabrous or pubescent.

Inflorescence

Cymes, axillary; bracts leaf-like.

Flower

Calyx strongly 5-ribbed, .14 to .3 inch, prominently veined internally, veins conspicuously raised, lobes 5, triangular, apex subulate, not spinulose and hooked; corolla white to pink or lavender, .3 to .47 inch, adaxial lip densely villous; stamens 4, included, ascending under adaxial lip, filaments straight or curved; style 1.

Fruit

Schizocarps comprising 4 mericarps, yellowish brown to brown, angular-obovoid to nearly pyramidal, .07 to .09 inch, apex truncate, densely hirsute; seeds 1 per mericarp.

Ecology

Habitat

Pastures, floodplains, river and stream banks, disturbed woodlands, farmsteads, and waste places.

Distribution

Scattered throughout Kansas

Practical Information

Uses

An infusion of the dried leaves and flowering tops was used to treat rabies, heart palpitations, and as a tonic and a stimulant.

Additional Notes