Siberian motherwort

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Siberian motherwort

Siberian motherwort

Siberian motherwort

Siberian motherwort inflorescence

Siberian motherwort leaves

Siberian motherwort flowers

Siberian motherwort leaf

Morphology

Stem

Erect, softly pubescent with downwardly-directed hairs.

Leaves

Opposite, grayish green, long-stalked, blades broadly egg-shaped to nearly circular in outline, deeply palmately 3-parted; divisions narrow, unequal, 2-7 cleft and incised; tips pointed.

Inflorescence

Spike-like, composed of dense, whorl-like clusters in leaf axils, 3-10-flowered; leaf-like bracts subtending flowers reduced, deeply lobed into narrow segments or uppermost sometimes lanceolate and entire.

Flower

Calyx tubular, bell-shaped, about 1/4 inch long, 5-10 ribs, 5-lobed; lobes prolonged into stiff, slender spines; corolla 2/5 to 3/5 inch long, rose-pink to purplish, 2-lipped; upper lip entire, hood-like, short-hairy above; lower lip spreading or bent downward, 3-lobed, purple mottled; central lobe longest; stamens 4, ascending under upper lip; lower pair equaling or longer than upper pair; stigma 2-lobed.

Fruit

Nutlets 4, less than .1 inch long, 3-angled, top pubescent, each 1-seeded.

Ecology

Habitat

Waste places, open woods, ditches, and along streams.

Distribution

Somewhat rare in Kansas, but scattered occurrences in eastern portions of the state.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Contact with the leaves causes skin inflammation in some individuals.

Uses

Native Americans used the species Leonurus cardiaca, (more commonly found in Kansas), to make a tea taken to treat stomach problems, "female ills", and as a stimulant for fainting.

Additional Notes