Lion’s Tail (Chaiturus marrubiastrum): A European Mint Family Visitor
If you’ve stumbled across a square-stemmed plant with small white flowers arranged in neat little clusters around the stem, you might have encountered lion’s tail. This unassuming member of the mint family has quietly made itself at home across much of the eastern and midwestern United States, though it’s not actually a native species.
What Exactly is Lion’s Tail?
Lion’s tail (Chaiturus marrubiastrum) is a biennial forb that belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae. Like its minty cousins, it sports the characteristic square stems that make mint family plants so recognizable. You might also see it listed under its synonym Leonurus marrubiastrum in older botanical references.
This European and western Asian native has established itself as what botanists call a naturalized species – meaning it reproduces on its own in the wild without human assistance and has become part of the landscape, even though it didn’t start here.
Where You’ll Find It
Lion’s tail has spread across a impressive swath of states, from the Northeast down through the Mid-Atlantic and into the Midwest. You can find it growing in Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
What Does It Look Like?
As a biennial, lion’s tail takes two years to complete its life cycle. The first year, it focuses on growing its roots and leaves. In its second year, it shoots up and produces those distinctive small white or pale pink flowers arranged in whorled clusters around the square stem. The plant typically reaches a modest height and has a somewhat weedy appearance that fits right in with disturbed soils and roadside areas.
Should You Plant Lion’s Tail?
Here’s where things get interesting. Lion’s tail isn’t typically something you’d find at your local garden center, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s more of a volunteer plant that shows up on its own in areas with poor or disturbed soil. While it’s not considered invasive or particularly problematic, it’s also not known for its ornamental value.
If you’re looking to add members of the mint family to your garden, you might want to consider native alternatives that offer similar characteristics but provide more benefits to local wildlife:
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
- Purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) – loved by pollinators
- American germander (Teucrium canadense) – provides habitat for native insects
Growing Conditions and Care
If you do encounter lion’s tail on your property or are curious about its needs, it’s quite the survivor. This hardy plant thrives in USDA zones 4-8 and isn’t picky about soil conditions. It actually seems to prefer disturbed areas and poor soils, which explains why you’ll often spot it along roadsides, in vacant lots, or other less-than-ideal growing conditions.
As a biennial, it will self-seed readily if conditions are right, so you may find new plants appearing year after year once it’s established in an area.
The Bottom Line
Lion’s tail represents one of those plants that sits in the middle ground – not native, but not necessarily harmful either. While it may attract some small pollinators with its modest flowers, it doesn’t offer the robust wildlife benefits that native plants provide. If you’re planning a garden, you’ll probably get more bang for your buck with native mint family alternatives that better support local ecosystems.
However, if lion’s tail has already made itself comfortable in a corner of your property, there’s no urgent need to wage war against it. Just keep in mind that encouraging native plants instead will better serve the birds, bees, and butterflies that call your area home.
