Leonotis nepetifolia

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:LAMIACEAE
Species:Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
Common Name:Lion's Ears; Lightning Rod Plant; Christmas Candlestick
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:**
Duration:Annual
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:LENE
Plant Notes:Lion's Ears is an introduced herbaceous annual in the Mint family (Lamiaceae). It is native to tropical Africa and India. In Alabama, it can be found in the southern third of the state. Lion's Ears occurs in pastures, around old home sites, on roadsides, and on sand bars and disturbed areas along rivers. It is an annual with a tap root. The stems are 3-9 feet in height, green in color, 4-angled, and pubescent. The plant is usually branched above the middle with short, erect branches. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate in outline, pubescent, and have toothed margins. The bases are sometimes almost cordate. Flowers are produced in globose, head-like cymes that completely encircle the stems. The calyx is tubular, 7-8 toothed, each tooth with a spine tip. Flowers are two-lipped, the upper lip hood-like and the lower lip 3-lobed. The flowers are tubular in shape, pubescent, and bright orange in color. The fruit are mericarps that remain within the calyx, which becomes papery and brown in color. The seed are released when the plant is disturbed. Lion's Ears is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental. The seed are available from some nurseries. The plants prefer a sandy soil in full sun, and average moisture. It is drought tolerant once established. Lion's Ears flowers are visited by several species of butterflies and hummingbirds. The seed heads are sometimes used in dried flower arrangements. Lion's Ears has been used to prepare an herbal tea that is used to treat fevers, coughs, and malaria. Dried leaves have also been smoked to relieve anxiety and tension.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyLAMIACEAE - Mint family
Genus Leonotis
Species Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown - Lion's Ears; Lightning Rod Plant; Christmas Candlestick

Citation

Citation LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (Linnaeus) R. Brown in W.T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 3: 409. 1811.
Basionym: Phlomis nepetifolia Linnaeus 1753.
Type: SURINAM: Without data (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by L. H. Cramer, in Dassanayake & Fosberg, Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 180. 1981.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Leonurus globosus Leonurus globosus Moench, Methodus 400. 1794, nom. illegit.Phlomis nepetifolia Linnaeus 1753. 
Leonurus nepetifolius Leonurus nepetifolius (Linnaeus) Miller, Gard. Dict., ed. 8. 1768.Phlomis nepetifolia Linnaeus 1753. 
Phlomis nepetifolia Phlomis nepetifolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 586. 1753. SURINAM: Without data (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by Cramer, in Dassanayake & Fosberg, Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 180. 1981.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Houston, Lee, Mobile, Monroe, Pike, Washington

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1950 - 2004

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
UNA00040199 Mobile _ Aug 1893 Charles Mohr
s.n.		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
SAMF0004829 Monroe 02 Aug 2011 Davenport, L. J.
4753		 SAMF
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
UWAL0006479 Covington 26 Nov 2009 Diamond, A.R.
21121		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. ex Ait. f.
AUA_ACC004098 Lee 15 JUL 1950 DAVIS, DONALD E.
 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
UWAL0008079 Butler 15 Sep 2011 Diamond, A.R.
22532		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
AUA_ACC050924 Houston 3 OCT 1992 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
8471		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
UNA00059908 Covington 09 Sep 2002 D. D. Spaulding
11608		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
TROY000020500 Barbour 11 Sep 2008 Alvin R. Diamond
19983		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
AUA_ACC064285 Baldwin 21 OCT 2004 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
14848		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
TROY000030587 Covington 26 Nov 2009 Alvin R. Diamond
21121		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000006494 Covington 09 Sep 2002 Daniel D. Spaulding
11608		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000006498 Geneva 18 Sep 2005 Alvin R. Diamond
15795		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
USAM000007736 Mobile 14 Sep 1974 Michael G. LeLong
8181.2		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
UWAL0013915 Bullock 14 Sep 2012 Dykes, Bailee
1294		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000036127 Bullock 14 Sep 2012 Bailee Dykes
1294		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000006496 Dale 07 Oct 2002 Christopher Terrell
1		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
USAM000007732 Baldwin 25 Oct 1980 Michael G. LeLong
11782		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
AUA_ACC050690 Crenshaw 27 OCT 1991 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
7843		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
UNA00064884 Clarke 07 Sep 2003 Brian R. Keener
2970		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
USAM000007733 Baldwin 15 Nov 1980 Michael G. LeLong
11891		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
TROY000032859 Butler 15 Sep 2011 Alvin R. Diamond
22532		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
UWAL0006478 Monroe 17 Sep 2007 Diamond, A.R.
18122		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. ex Ait. f.
UWAL0006476 Barbour 11 Sep 2008 Diamond, A.R.
19983		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. ex Ait. f.
AUA_ACC055960 Pike 28 SEP 1995 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
9991		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
TROY000030872 Lee 15 Jul 1950 Davis
s.n.		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
UWAL0043283 Baldwin 08 Sep 2007 Larsen, H.S.
1638		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br.
TROY000006495 Dale 06 Aug 1999 Tiffany Pennington
68		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
AUA_ACC061119 Choctaw 21 OCT 1994 CROUCH, VIRGINIA E.
1238		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
USAM000007731 Washington 25 Oct 1980 Michael G. LeLong
11766		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
UWAL0006477 Clarke 07 Sep 2003 Keener, Brian R.
2970		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
UNA00040196 Mobile s.d. Charles Mohr
s.n.		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
UWAL0012064 Monroe 02 Aug 2011 Keener, Brian R.
6617		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
UNA00063605 Baldwin 21 Oct 2004 Alvin R. Diamond
14848		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
UWAL0006480 Crenshaw 26 Nov 2009 Diamond, A.R.
21122		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. ex Ait. f.
AUA_ACC050925 Barbour 10 OCT 1992 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
8479		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
TROY000006499 Monroe 17 Sep 2007 Alvin R. Diamond
18122		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000040744 Monroe 02 Aug 2011 Brian R. Keener
6617		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
UWAL0032135 Houston 22 Oct 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26987		 UWAL
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
AUA_ACC055287 Conecuh 26 NOV 1994 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
9469		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
TROY000030586 Crenshaw 26 Nov 2009 Alvin R. Diamond
21122		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000006497 Geneva 04 Oct 1999 John R. MacDonald
13597		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
UNA00040197 Mobile 22 Apr 1950 Lloyd C. Crawford
1030		 UNA
Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) Ait. f.
TROY000006493 Baldwin 21 Oct 2004 Alvin R. Diamond
14848		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
AUA_ACC023882 Butler 17 JUL 1971 HESTER, D.
092		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
USAM000007735 Mobile 14 Sep 1974 Michael G. LeLong
8181.1		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
AUA_ACC061118 Choctaw 21 OCT 1994 CROUCH, VIRGINIA E.
1238		 AUA
LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA (L.) AIT. F.
USAM000007734 Washington 25 Oct 1980 Michael G. LeLong
11766		 USAM
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
JSU126132 Baldwin 27 Aug 2000 D. D. Spaulding
10838		 JSU
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) Aiton f.
TROY000042940 Houston 22 Oct 2015 Alvin R. Diamond
26987		 TROY
Leonotis nepetifolia (Linnaeus) R. Brown
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