Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Common Motherwort - Leonurus cardiaca  
Members of Lamiaceae:
Only member of Leonurus in NC.
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Section 6 » Order Lamiales » Family Lamiaceae
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DistributionMostly in the Mountains; locally in the Piedmont, but rare in the Coastal Plain. A specimen with more deeply divided, very narrow leaf segments appears to be L. sibirica and needs an ID check [Randolph County, Diamond 199 (NCZP)].

Native of central Asia; in N.A. throughout, except FL and CA.
AbundanceFrequent to locally common in the Mountains, rare to uncommon in the Piedmont, and very rare in the Coastal Plain.
HabitatFields, barnyards, pastures, meadows, roadsides, "woods", "swamp forest", near creek, montane trailside.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting May-October.
IdentificationMotherwort is a familiar non-native plant along mountain roadsides and waste places. It is a very distinctive mint, with the leaves divided into 3 sharply pointed lobes, like a very narrow Red Maple (Acer rubrum) leaf; the uppermost leaves are less deeply cut/dissected. Pale pink flowers may grow in small groups in the axils, from below mid-stem all the way to the top of the stem.
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State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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