Leonotis leonurus - Lion's Tail
Leonotis leonurus is one of the most consistently colorful plants in the dry garden. Once established the Lion's Tail requires little suplimental irrigation in the coastal area except in containers or extremely well drained soils. Leonotis leonurus has stalks of orange flowers Spring through Fall. Lion's Tail will grow in full sun to dark shade. Leonotis leonurus plants will slowly spread by root suckers. It looks its best if the dead flowers are trimmed, but will still put on new growth and blooms without the extra grooming. There is a white variety of Leonotis that can add a little interest and spice. I often include Leonotis leonurus in the butterfly garden plans. The Gray Hairstreak, Fiery Skipper, Mournful Duskywing, Common Buckeye, White Checkered Skipper, Northern White Skipper, and California Dogface Butterflies will sip nectar. The plants are damaged by frost in the mid 20°s F and killed in the low 20°s F. Closeup of the Lion's Tail Flower
Orange clusters of flowers and foliage of Leonotis leonurus - Lion's Tail. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
Other plant pages from the Leonotis Genus featured on this site:
Leonotis leonurus closeup of flower
Leonotis leonurus alba
Leonotis menthifolia