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Leonurus japonicus

Houtt. (1778)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Leonurus

lion's tail, motherwort

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual or short-lived perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems 4–angled and furrowed, 5–15 dm long, puberulent to glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades variable, lower ones broadly ovate to deltate in outline, 5–11 cm long, 4–6.5 cm wide, deeply palmately lobed, upper leaves gradually reduced in size and with fewer and smaller lobes, those of the inflorescence linear, unlobed. Surfaces puberulent. Petioles 2–4 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 6 to numerous, sessile, in dense verticillasters, bracteoles linear, up to ca. 7 mm long, spinose. Calyx actinomorphic, turbinate, 4–5 mm long, enlarging to 6–7 mm long in fruit, glabrous to sparsely puberulent, the teeth subulate, splitting longitudinally usaully persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla zygomorphic, bilabiate, white, pink, or reddish, 10–15 mm long, puberulent, upper lobe obovate, pubescent on outer side; nectary disk symmetrical. Stamens 4, in 2 pairs, ascending the upper corolla lip, lower pair slightly longer; anthers sacs coherent; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, cleft, the branches equal; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets 4; 1-seeded; brown; ellipsoid; ca. 2 mm long. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy: 2n = 20

Habitat: Naturalized in relatively dry areas; especially pastures.

Elevation Range: 40–600 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Nat. Hist. 2(9): 366 (1778)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:803 (K, O, M, H [as L. sibiricus]); Harley & Paton 2001:244/Staples et al. 2003:14 (L. sibiricus misapplied = L. japonicus); Wysong et al. 2007:5 (Mo); Hosaka 2308 BISH (H†, 1938); Tim Flynn pers. comm. 2025/Flynn 1012 PTBG (K† 1985)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Leonurus japonicus Makaha Valley Preserved_Specimen Bryan Jr., E.H. 709 Oahu BISH 1930-04-13
2 Leonurus japonicus Konaie, S slope of Haleakala Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1790 Maui BISH 1920-03-01
3 Leonurus japonicus Wainee Gulch, West Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 75 Maui BISH 1910-05-01
4 Leonurus japonicus Haleiwa Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2110 Oahu BISH 1915-03-05
5 Leonurus japonicus Iolani School Preserved_Specimen Brodie, H.H. Oahu BISH 1930-04-15
6 Leonurus japonicus Waimea Preserved_Specimen Meebold, A. Hawaii BISH 1932-05-01
7 Leonurus japonicus Makaha Valley Preserved_Specimen Suehiro, A. Oahu BISH 1932-04-03
8 Leonurus japonicus Makawao, Ulupalakua pasture Preserved_Specimen Hosaka, E.Y. 1791 Maui BISH 1937-04-08
9 Leonurus japonicus Honolua Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. Maui BISH 1914-05-02
10 Leonurus japonicus Makawao, East Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. Maui BISH 1910-07-01
11 Leonurus japonicus Wainee Gulch, West Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 75 Maui BISH 1910-05-01
12 Leonurus japonicus Kohala, Puu Hue Ranch pasture Preserved_Specimen Ewart III, G.R. 194 Hawaii BISH 1932-05-16
13 Leonurus japonicus Haleiwa between road and beach Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 9516 Oahu BISH 1933-03-25
14 Leonurus japonicus Honolulu, 2561 Malama Way weed in garden Preserved_Specimen Godfrey, L. Oahu BISH 1929-12-03
15 Leonurus japonicus East Maui, Ulupalakua, below Sun Yat-Sen Park on south side on Kealakapu Road Disturbed roadside. Preserved_Specimen Inforescense with flowers. Packet with flowers Welton, P. 2553 Maui BISH 2021-04-29
16 Leonurus japonicus Upper Makakilo, adjacent to Palehua Heights subdivision, along dirt road at intersection of Makakilo Drive and Pueonani St. Open dirt path lined on both sides by Panicum maximum grassland. Preserved_Specimen Upright herb. Imada, C. 200436 Oahu BISH 2004-03-30
17 Leonurus japonicus Lawai Valley. P.T.B.G. Big Valley edge of fallow cane field Preserved_Specimen white flowered form Flynn, T.W. 1012 Kauai BISH 1985-03-07
18 Leonurus japonicus Pauwela abandoned pineapple field Preserved_Specimen stout, erect herb, ~2.5' , with purple flowers Herbst, D.R. 805 Maui BISH 1967-12-20
19 Leonurus japonicus Kalaupapa; Waihanau, dump Preserved_Specimen annual herb Wysong, M.L. 754 Molokai BISH 2005-04-07
20 Leonurus japonicus N. Kohala, Ranch Preserved_Specimen 1-1.5'; flowers purple Hosaka, E.Y. 2308 Hawaii BISH 1938-06-11
21 Leonurus japonicus Makaha Valley scrubby trailside Preserved_Specimen Hasegawa, M. Oahu BISH 1932-04-03
22 Leonurus japonicus Makaha Valley Preserved_Specimen Bryan Jr., E.H. 709 Oahu BISH 1930-04-13
23 Leonurus japonicus East Maui, Makawao District, Papaanui Preserved_Specimen 1.5m tall shrubs; flowers purple. Oppenheimer, H.L. 50132 Maui BISH 2001-05-24
24 Leonurus japonicus Lawai Valley. P.T.B.G Preserved_Specimen flowers purple Herbst, D.R. 2010 Kauai BISH 1971-07-20
25 Leonurus japonicus Manoa Valley, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen flowers purplish Fosberg, F.R. 14263 Oahu BISH 1937-08-01
26 Leonurus japonicus Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Faurie, A. 891 Oahu BISH 1909-04-01
27 Leonurus japonicus Konaie, S slope of Haleakala Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1790 Maui BISH 1920-03-01
28 Leonurus japonicus Koloa Park, farmer's market Preserved_Specimen Stem pale green, somewhat glossy, with whitish hairs. Leaf: petiole whitish green to nearly white, this extending on primary vein; blade above pale green, slightly glossy; below paler. Inflorescence: rachis pale green with slight purple cast; sepals pale green with purple cast on some, hairs white to pale violet; petals and stamens (5 mm) white; pistil with style purple becoming white at apex and stigma brown. Strong licorice odor Hume, L. 385 Kauai BISH 1989-05-08
29 Leonurus japonicus Haleiwa Park Preserved_Specimen weed Degener, O. 9515 Oahu BISH 1933-03-13
30 Leonurus japonicus Kalaupapa. Preserved_Specimen Shrub. Flowers single, pink. Arakaki, D. 1 Molokai BISH 2009-05-06
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