With its seed origin on the northern tip of the island of Unguja in the Zanzibar archipelago, this rare member of the genus Leonotis has found its way into my gardens this year.
A perennial plant it is native to East and South Africa.
White whorls of flowers and large aromatic leaves are attractive to both bees and butterflies.
Nearly every plant in the genus of Leonotis is used in traditional medicines and ‘Mukasi’ is no exception.
(A close relative being Lion’s Tail, Leonotis leonurus)
In traditional African medicine (TAM) it is used as an intestinal bitter against stomach complaints (tea or fresh leaf chew) and relaxing euphoric (smoke of dried leaves and flowers)
Somewhat frost tender I have decided to grow it in large pots so it can be moved under cover should we get some hard frosts this year.
I will be collecting seeds for next year!