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Leonurus cardiaca

Common motherwort

Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Malte

Short Description

The common motherwort can grow to over a metre high.

The leaves are palmately divided into three to seven columns. The underside has downy hairs and is light green. The upper side is dark green.

The stem is square, hollow and hairy.

The flowers grow in whorls in the leaf axils on the stem. They are light purple and bell-shaped.

The fruits are small, single-seeded nutlets. There are always four of them in the calyx of the flower.

Features

Common motherwort

Leonurus cardiaca

  • palmate leaves

  • light purple, whorled flowers

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) H. Zell

In the city

Common motherwort often grows along paths and fences on nutrient-rich, loamy soils. It occurs rather rarely.

Fun Facts

  • Because of its importance as a medicinal drug, it used to be planted all over Europe.

  • It is also used in homeopathy.

  • The flowering period is from June to September.

  • It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).

  • Endangerment level Germany: severely endangered

  • In former times, the common motherwort was a medicinal plant and was mainly used as a heart medicine.

Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 3.0) Hajotthu

Sources

Blütenstand, Malte, CC BY-SA 3.0 , https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P1050797-Leonurus-cardiaca.JPG

Habitus, H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonurus_cardiaca_0001.JPG

Blütenstand, Hajotthu, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Echte_Herzgespann_(Leonurus_cardiaca)_01.jpg

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Page „Echtes Herzgespann“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 12.07.2018, 12:56 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Echtes_Herzgespann&oldid=179091957 (Accessed: 13.08.2018).

Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/taxoquery.xsql?taxname=Leonurus+cardiaca&submit.x=9&submit.y=7&max-rows=10&skip-rows=0 (Accessed: 13.08.2018).

Baumschule Hostmann (2005-2018) Echtes Herzgespann, URL: https://www.baumschule-horstmann.de/echtes-herzgespann-697_59387.html (Accessed: 13.08.2018).

Seitz, B., Ristow, M., Meißner, J., Machatzi, B. & Sukopp, H. (2018) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der etablierten Farn- und Blütenpflanzen von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Klima und Verkehr (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen, Pilze und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/farn-und-bluetenpflanzen/ (Accessed: 26.03.2021).

NatureGate (n.d.) Echtes Herzgespann. Leonurus cardiaca, URL: http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/de/kukkakasvit/echtes-herzgespann (Accessed: 13.08.2018).