FoI
Lion's Ear
Share Foto info
Lion's Ear
aturalized Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Lion's Ear, Annual lion's ear, Christmas candlestick • Assamese: যাঠি তুলসী jathi tuloshi • Bengali: ভুতভৈরব bhutabhairaba, গ্রন্থিকা granthika, খেজুরছড়ি khejurachari, মধুচুষি madhuchushi • Gujarati: લાલ ગુમા lal guma, માટીજેર matijer, માટીશૂળ matishul • Hindi: बड़ा गूमा bara guma, लाल गूमा lal guma, महाद्रोण mahadrona • Kannada: ದೀಪ ಶೂಲೆ deepa shoole, ದೆವ ತುಂಬೆ deva tumbe, ಗೋವಗೆಡ್ಡೆ govagedde, ಕಾಡು ತುಂಬೆ ಗಿಡ kaadu tumbe gida, ಪೃಥುಬೀಜ pruthubeeja, ರಣಭೇರಿ ranabheri • Konkani: दीपमाळ dipmal • Malayalam: ഗ്രന്ഥിപർണ്ണി granthhiparnni • Marathi: दीपमाळ dipamaal, माती सूळ maati sul • Nepali: उडुसमारा udusamaaraa • Odia: କଣ୍ଟାସିଧ kantasidha • Sanskrit: ग्रन्थिपर्णी granthiparni • Tamil: இரணபேரி ranaperi • Telugu: హనుమంతబీర hanumanthabeera, మగబీర magabura, ములుగొలిమిడి mulugolimidi, రణచెట్టు ranabheri, రణ చెట్టు rana chettu Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Leonotis nepetifolia    Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Synonyms: Phlomis nepetifolia
Lion's Ear is an erect, branched herb that can grow 8 ft tall. The stems are strongly 4-angled. Oppostely arranged are smooth with coarsely toothed margins, triangular in shape and 2-5 in long. The flowers are borne in rounded, spiny clusters, 2-4 in across, that encircle the stems so that it looks like the stems are growing right through the middle of the clusters. As the stems elongate, new flower clusters continue to develop above the older ones. Orange, furry, tubular flowers that emerge out of the spiny heads look like a lion's ear, with some imagination. The flowers are about 1 in long and curve downward. Lion's Ear originated in tropical Africa, but is now naturalized world wide. Flowering: November-December.
Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed en route to Pench Reserve Forest, Maharashtra.
• Is this flower misidentified? If yes,