Motherwort (Leonurus quinquelobatus), fam. Lamiaceae.
   Perennial plant, rather rare in DVRZ district. A few groups have been met in the forest, e.g. to the east from the end of Alma-Atynska street (see map).
   It is interesting to follow the development of the plant during spring. At first, round, slightly dissected, corrugated, dark-green leaves appear. They sit in a heap, oppositely on the young shoots. Then, the growth of these shoots rapidly accelerates, the leaves become larger and pointed. Finally, in June the growth slows down, and in the axils of upper leaves, which are now bluish and extended along the petiole axis, the pinky-white small flowers develop. It is this top part of the plant that is generally used as a medicine, in the area of cardiovascular and neural diseases.
   In many ways, these properties are similar to the motherwort's close relative – horehound, which is tens of times more abundant in our vicinities. During the flowering, their similarity is the most pronounced, whereas young motherwort rather reminds geranium or mugwort.
   Interestingly, motherwort is also a good melliferous plant; its seeds are used for extracting technical-grade oil, the stems are source of high-quality fiber, and the leaves – of a green dye.

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