Minaret flower
Leonotis ocymifolia

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

An erect shrub. It grows 5 m high. It has a thick woody base. The leaf blade is 1-17 cm long by 1-9 cm wide. It is broadly oval. The leaves are green on the upper surface and silvery underneath. The flowers are usually orange. The upper lobe is 12-30 mm long. The seeds are 2-4 mm long by 1-2 mm wide. They are dark brown and glossy. There are at least 2 varieties.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It can grow in hot arid places with a dry season of 6-11 months. It grows between 50-3,700 m above sea level in warmer places and lower in cooled places. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 500-2,000 mm per year. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The flowers are cooked as a vegetable. The nectar is sucked from the flowers.

The nectar of the flower is especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Flowers, flower - nectar, spice

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ezewe, Fofiofo, Ifipa, Irenge, Koppie dagga, Mununzu, Ras kimir, Rooidagga, Sonja, Tchimuachope, Wilde dagga

Synonyms

Leonotis raineriana Vis.; Leonotis intermedia Lindl.; Leonotis dysophylla Benth.; Leonotis velutina Fenzl.; Leonotis rugosa Benth.; Leonotis laxifolia MacOwan; Leonotis mollissima Gurke; Leonotis malacophylla Gurke; Leonotis bachmannii Gurke; Leonotis minor Boerh.; Phlomis leonotis L.; Phlomis ocymifolia Burm. f.; and others