Common name: Lion’s Ear. Tamil name: Ranaperi
L. nepetifolia grows to a height of about 6 feet. The stem is four angled, grooved and mostly un-branched. They grow up assuming shape of ‘vertical towers’ and this makes them easily identifiable. The flowers are borne on round spiny clusters on the main stem; the stem continues to grow through, producing several such flowering spiny clusters. The flowers are tubular and orange in color. The nectar is much sort after by insects. The plant is commonly seen in fallow lands and road-sides and distributed in in entire peninsular India. The fruit is in the form of a four lobed capsule. This plant can be used as an ornamental in home gardens.
