Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
Used in Europe for many years as a medicinal herb then brought to North America, Motherwort got it's name from it's use as a tea to treat mothers during childbirth. A wildflower, often relegated to the “noxious weed†category simply because the flowers are small and not showy. Look closer, but be careful of the spines on the Calyxes that surround each leaf axil, you will see beautiful white and purple, orchid like flowers, that are no more than a quarter inch high. Use your imagination and you might even see "Aliens" sitting on their thrones.
The stalks are square and hollow and have a rib on each corner, making them very strong. Try cutting them with a weed eater, especially if they are old plants. Mammalian herbivores avoid the foliage as it has a bitter taste, but bees do a great job pollinating the flowers of these plants. The lower leaves some what resemble a maple leaf in the beginning rosette. The upper leaves on the stems are different in shape. The Motherwort is a member of the mint family.
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