Motherwort.Leonurus Cardiaca.
Found in blossom through July and August, on waste grounds around dwellings.
The large, stout, square stalk grows from 3 to 4 feet high; it branches, is very leafy, and of a dull purplish color.
The upper leaves, long and taper-pointed, are sharply notched, with 3 strong ribs; the lower leaves are more deeply cut, and broader than the upper ones, and are set on longer foot-stems. The texture is coarse, the surface soft-hairy, and the color dark green. The leaves grow near together, and point out in all directions, around the stalk.
The small 2-lipped flower has the upper lip slightly arched, and the lower one 3-lobed; there are 4 stamens under the hood of the upper lip; the outside of the corolla is covered with silky hairs; the color is a dull pink. The 5-pointed, green calyx becomes rigid, and bristling with age, and is persistent on the stalk after the flowers have disappeared. They grow in close whorls around the stalk at short intervals.
Motherwort is effective from the distance, with its many alert leaves, and close flower-whorls threaded on its long stalk; it is a favorite with the bees, and is cherished for their sakes by the beekeeper. It has been naturalized in this country from Europe—perhaps purely for the profit of the bee?