Leonurus sibiricus

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Leonurus
Species: L. sibiricus
Binomial name
Leonurus sibiricus L.

Leonurus sibiricus, commonly called Honeyweed or Siberian motherwort, is a herbaceous plants species native from central western Asia, including China and Mongolia and Russia. It is naturalized in many other parts of the world, including North America.

Description
Leonurus sibiricus is a herbaceous annual or biennial with upright stems that grow from 20 to 80 cm tall. Plants have long petioled basal leaves, that are ovate-cordate in shape. The leaves have toothed margins and are incised with deeply cut lobes. Typically one or a few flowering stems are produced from short tap-roots. The lower stem leaves are deciduous and wither away as the plants begin blooming. The petioles of the leaves, midway up the stems are 2 cm long. The flowers are produced in many flowered verticillasters, produced in whorls around the top half or more of the stem. The flowers are sessile with 8 mm long calyxs that are tubular-campanulate in shape. The corolla is white or reddish to purple-red, with an upper lip that is oblong in shape and longer than the lower lip. When flowering is done, brown oblong shaped nutlets are produced in good number.[2] Blooming occurs from July into late September, but when climate permits, flowering can occur year round.[3][4]

This species habitat within its natural range, is stony or sandy grasslands or pine forests.[5]

Alkaloids
Leonurine is one of the active components of Leonurus sibiricus[6]

Alkaloids isolated from the plant include:[7]

* Leonurinine
* Leonuridine
* Stachydrine [1]
* Leuronurine
* Prehispanolone [2]
* Cycloleonurinine
* Leoheterin
* Preleoheterin

References

1. ^ "PLANTS Profile for Leonurus sibiricus (honeyweed)". plants.usda.gov. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LESI. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
2. ^ "Leonurus sibiricus in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www. efloras. org. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019765. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
3. ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/floraofstcroixvi00egge/floraofstcroixvi00egge_djvu.txt
4. ^ http://whqlibdoc.who.int/wpro/1994-99/9290611200.pdf
5. ^ "Leonurus sibiricus in Flora of China @ efloras. org". www. efloras.org. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019765. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
6. ^ "The Leonurine and its preparation" (in English). An Hui New Star Pharmaceutical Development Co.. 2008. http://www.newstar-chem.com/english/display.asp?id=208. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
7. ^ "Leonurus sibiricus L. Labiatae Korean Name: Ik-mo-cho English Name: Motherwort Parts used. Herb. Traditional uses.". 74.125.95.132. http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:SAxYdHmAIPUJ:www.wpro.who.int/internet/files/pub/97/161.pdf+%22Leonurus+sibiricus%22+alkaloids&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.

From wikipedia