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Leonotis leonurus
Lamiaceae FAMILY

Leonotis leonurus

Leonotis leonurus

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Shrub
GrowthFast

A plant of subtropical to tropical climates. Plants can tolerate some frost[1]. Very easily grown, plants are not particularly fussy about soil type, and are easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun[2]. Tolerates some light shade[2]. Plants like regular moisture, more especially during the growing season[1, 2]. Young plants grow away rapidly and can reach a height of 1 - 1.8 metres in their first year from seed[2]. Plants can be pruned right back to ground level in their dormant season to encourage lots of new growth[1]. The flowers produce copious nectar which attracts birds, bees and butterflies[1].

Propagation

Seed - no pre-treatment is necessary. Seed can be sown in situ, but is best in containers. Germination is usually fast and good. Seedlings grow away quickly and should be potted up as soon as they are large enough to handle. Plant out into their permanent positions when 15cm tall. Cuttings may be taken in spring from overwintered plants or from garden plants in summer for overwintering. Division of large clumps[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Leonotis+leonurus>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  2. [2]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  3. [3]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  4. [4]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  5. [5]Pharmaceutical monographs for 60 South African plant species — Scott, G. and Springfield, E.P. · 2004 · http://www.plantzafrica.com/medmonographs ↩︎A series of 60 monographs of S. African medicinal plants. Well written, with information on traditional uses and modern research into the plants.
  6. [6]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region