ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Leonurus cardiaca
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    LAMIALES
 FAMILY:   LAMIACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Leonurus cardiaca
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    MOTHERWORT
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: LECA2
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     FOREST
       UPLAND FOREST
         DRY
         DRY-MESIC
         MESIC
     CULTURAL
       AGRICULTURAL FIELD
         PASTURELAND
         FIELD DIVISION
       SUCCESSIONAL FIELD
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           BOONE           BROWN           BUREAU          CALHOUN
   CASS            CHAMPAIGN       CHRISTIAN       CLARK           COLES
   COOK            CRAWFORD        CUMBERLAND      DEKALB          DEWITT
   DOUGLAS         DUPAGE          EDGAR           FORD            FULTON
   GALLATIN        GREENE          GRUNDY          HANCOCK         HENDERSON
   IROQUOIS        JACKSON         JERSEY          JO DAVIESS      JOHNSON
   KANE            KANKAKEE        KENDALL         KNOX            LAKE
   LASALLE         LAWRENCE        LEE             MCDONOUGH       MCHENRY
   MCLEAN          MACON           MACOUPIN        MARSHALL        MASON
   MASSAC          MENARD          MERCER          MORGAN          MOULTRIE
   OGLE            PEORIA          PIATT           PIKE            PUTNAM
   RANDOLPH        RICHLAND        ROCK ISLAND     ST. CLAIR       SANGAMON
   SCHUYLER        SCOTT           SHELBY          STARK           STEPHENSON
   TAZEWELL        UNION           VERMILION       WABASH          WARREN
   WASHINGTON      WHITESIDE       WILL            WINNEBAGO       WOODFORD
 
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Adventitious   (fibrous)
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:     Opposite
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Dentate   Lobed  (palmately)
    LEAF VENATION:  Palmate
 
    INFLORESCENCE:   Spike
    FLOWER MEROUS:  5
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Complete   Irregular
    FLOWER COLOR:   Red   Violet
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Nut
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Corolla is bearded; calyx lobes forming stiff
     slender spines.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Introduced-  Europe   Asia
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Occasional
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 POPULATION STATUS COMMENTS:
     Species is less common in the southern half of state.
 
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Perennial
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual   Vegetative
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      5         MONTH END-      8
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Perfect
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Species is distributed in shaded areas, disturbed woods, edges of
     barnyards; city parks.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:    No data entered
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     ALLERGENIC:  Yes
     EDIBLE:  Yes
 
     WILD HERBS:   Medicinal
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Young plant is eaten fresh or boiled; used as a bitter tonic;
     may cause dermatitis.
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:
     FOOD VALUE:  No data entered
     COVER VALUE:  No data entered
 
 LIVESTOCK PALATABILITY DATA:
     CATTLE FORAGE: No data    SHEEP FORAGE:  No data    HORSE FORAGE:  No data
     GOAT FORAGE:   No data    ENERGY VALUE:  No data    PROTEIN VALUE: No data
     POISONOUS (LIVESTOCK):     -mechanical injury
 
 LIVESTOCK COMMENTS:
     Calyx spines sometimes injure grazing animals.
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:
     WEEDINESS:   Economic
 
 
 GENERAL COMMENTS:
     Regarding weediness, species may be economic or colonizing.
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Agricultural Experiment Station.  1981.  Weeds of the North Central States.
     Bulletin 772.  College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-
     Champaign, Urbana.  303 pp.
Gleason, H. A.  1952.  The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the
     northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.  3 vols.  The New York
     Botanical Garden, New York.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Leonurus cardiaca
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015