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If you ’re looking for a bold and showy shrub , Leonotis is a good property to start . These typical African plant are fast - develop and have interesting , brilliantly colored blossoms which pull in butterflies and hummingbirds .
What Is A Leonotis?
Leonotis leonurus , or lion ’s behind , is an evergreen bush from the mint family ( Lamiaceae ) . The genus name is descend from the Greek words leon meaning “ king of beasts ” and ous or otis entail “ pinna , ” in reference to the corolla , which resemble a lion ’s ear . These works are also commonly known as wild dagga . Amusingly , the scientific name for this flora means social lion - colored king of beasts pinna .
Leonotis is a semi - evergreen shrub , depending on the clime where you grow it . These plants produce to about 8 feet ( 2.4 m ) tall and equally extensive in lovesome mood but may be bound to about 5 foot ( 1.5 m ) in cool zone .
Lion ’s fag end works isnative to South Africa , where it grow in a variety of habitats .
Lion ’s quarter leaves are usually about 5 inches ( 12.5 cm ) longsighted and rough - textured . These oppositely arranged leaf have weakly serrate margin and a distinctive herbal aroma if squeeze .
The lower stems of these works are pale and woody but light and brittle , and upper branchlet are greener and satisfying - shape in crossbreeding - section .
Leonotis Flowers
Leonotis blossom are unusual and striking orangish flowers . Each flower is a two - lobed vasiform blossom , growing up to 2 inches ( 5 cm ) in length . These fluffy tubular flowers issue in richness from a spiky glob - mold flower head on the upper stem turn .
Leonotis has a prolong flowering period from former saltation to fall in warmer areas but if grown as an yearly in colder areas , carry this plant to flower in the fall after being start indoors in the spring .
The seed of this plant are book in strange - looking seed head which resemble paper wasp nests .
Other Leonotis Species
Leonotis nepetifolia , which is often known as Christmas candlestick , is usually a minuscule coinage that is also occasionally used as an ornamental . This mintage from tropical Africa has broader leaves and a declamatory flower straits , but with little , less showy peak .
Unfortunately , these plants can be quite invasive and are now coarse weeds in tropic area of the world . ( 1 )
How To Grow A Leonotis Plant
In warmer areas , this plant will stay evergreen , whereas frost will cause it to drop its leave .
In rime - prone areas , it is possible to grow this plant as an yearbook by start out it from seed indoors and travel it outside after the last hoarfrost . While it can freeze to the dry land in the winter , it will often resprout from case-hardened wood the spring , which is why it is broadly term a perennial .
Leonotis is a very fast - growing plant that can reach 6 feet ( 1.8 yard ) in a single yr if planted from seed . The seeds do n’t need any treatment and can be sown in the ground or in pots before replanting when they reach around 6 inches ( 15 cm ) tall .
Leonotis come are spliff - shaped and can be shake loose from the dry out ejaculate fountainhead . ( 2 ) Grow these seeds in a fine and sluttish substrate with slew of constituent material work out into it . If cultivated as an annual , the seed should be planted indoors in wintertime or sown outside before the last frost date for spill flowering .
Lion ’s tail plants can also be grown readily from green theme cuttings of 5 column inch ( 12.5 curium ) or so . Remove the depleted leaf from your cuttings and plant them in a intermixture of moxie and peat moss , and they should originate root within a calendar month or two .
These plants can be produce in a miscellanea of fast - draining soil but will do best in rich , loamy , and well enfeeble soils . They are quite drouth tolerant , but the gardener is advised to keep this plant well irrigate in the summer month for good growth .
Growing this plant in full sun will promote the most flowers , but these shrubs will also endure in light shade in USDA zones 8 to 11 .
Care and Maintenance
Leonotis is a various industrial plant that can be grown as semi - evergreen , recurrent , or one-year . These are modest - maintenance shrubs when grow within their favored clime wander but will require a adept amount of supererogatory caution if get in colder place .
Generally , these industrial plant should be pruned annually , after flowering , to promote a denser growth signifier . If grow outside in area with frost , rationalize it down to about 4 to 8 inch ( 10 to 20 cm ) and protect the crown from frost damage with a bed of mulch . The plant life should grow back strongly in the next spring .
Fertilizing is not stringently necessary with these plant , but they do enjoy passably rich soil . If yours is very poor , count using organic plant food in the leaping and apply a 4 to 6 inches ( 10 to 15 cm ) deep bed of organic mulch around the square stems to encourage degraded development . ( 2 )
These audacious plants are usually quite a pest- and disease - repellent .
Uses of Lion’s Tail
Horticultural Uses
Leonotis could be used as a background plant for other shrubs or even as a screen , but it can be a small too bold for these applications . Leonotis work gravid as an accent or specimen plant and can be even be grown in a large container .
This is a great pick for wildlife gardens because of all the pollinators it attracts .
Human Uses
The leaf and stems of this industrial plant are mostly used . Traditional uses let in smoking the leaf as a tobacco fill-in with a mild narcotic core or used to make a teatime .
Lion ’s shadow is also used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a wide variety of condition , include snakebite , cramps , cold , vexation , and tegument weather like eczema . ( 3 )
Wildlife Uses
These plants attract birds ( hummingbirds and sunbirds ) , bees , butterfly stroke , and other pollinators because of its sweet nectar . Fortunately , Leonotis is alsohighly deer resistant .
FAQs
How do you snip leonotis genus Leonurus ?
In the winter , Leonotis can be prune properly back to about 6 column inch ( 15 cm ) in frost - prostrate field . Just take care to get across the crest in mulch to protect the roots from cold wrong . In warmer area , trim the inflorescence stem after they have finished flower to create a denser , neater - expect shrub .
How do you develop leonotis leonurus ?
Lion ’s shadow can be grown from seed , stem film editing , or from divided plant . These plants can be produce in bed or container , and it is possible to overwinter plants indoors in very insensate climate .
Is Leonotis vicious ?
Leonotis is not regard extremely toxic unless taken in dangerously in high spirits window pane . This plant life is not view edible . Always confer with a medical professional before using works medicinally or for other purposes .
Is Leonotis repeated ?
Leonotis is a semi - evergreen but can comport as a perennial in cold clime where plant will drop dead back in the winter before regrowing in the give . You will have to manually withdraw older woody growth , however .
decision
Leonotis is a spectacular andfast - arise bush . The sheer and bright colors of this works can be shocking in aggregated planting so use this shrub as an accent or specimen plant life , specially if you wish to pull in pollinator to the garden .
Also moderate moretypes of orange flowersyou can grow .
References
Reference List :
( 1 ) gage of Australia Factsheet : Leonotis nepetifolia . regain athttps://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/leonotis_nepetifolia.htm
( 2 ) Turner , S. Plantzafrica . Leonotis Leonurus . South African National Biodiversity Institute . regain athttp://pza.sanbi.org/leonotis-leonurus
( 3 ) van Wyk , B. , van Oudtshoorn , B. & Gericke , N. Medicinal Plants Of South Africa
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