Orange Wild Dagga – 10 Seeds

Orange Wild Dagga (Leonotis leonurus) is also known as lion’s tail, leonotis (Eng.); wildedagga, duiwelstabak (Afr); imvovo, utywala-bengcungcu, umfincafincane, umunyamunya (isiXhosa); umfincafincane, umcwili, imunyane, utshwala-bezinyoni (isiZulu).

This is an excellent plant for attracting wildlife to your garden as the orange flowers profuse copious nectar which attracts birds, bees and butterflies. It is fast growing, soft-woody, robust, evergreen perennial shrub which grows up to 2-3m tall and 1.5m wide and is both drought and frost hardy.

The plant has tubular orange flowers in tiered whorls, typical to the mint family, that encircle the square stems. They rise above the foliage mass during the summer season, with flowering continuing into winter in warmer climates. The leaves are aromatic when crushed. Leonotis leonurus is primarily bird pollinated, however the nectar and pollen is also attractive to honey bees and other insects who also visit the flowers.

Wild Dagga Medicinal Uses

• Wild Dagga has long been used in African traditional medicine as a treatment for fevers, headaches, malaria, dysentery and snakebite.
• It is used to clean out the uterus, treat diarrhea and heavy cramps, as a diuretic and as a tonic to strengthen the back.
• In Trinidad it is a common cold, fever and asthma remedy.
• The leaf juice is used in the treatment of thrush and in a plaster for wounds.
• An ethanolic extract of the plant showed anti-tumor and possibly antimicrobial activity.
• In Rwanda, the leaves of this plant are used to treat pneumonia, anthrax and syphilis.
• It has anti-nociceptive properties (inhibits pain sensations), is anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic. Many people use this herb to manage arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
• It is also used for heart conditions associated with anxiety and hypertension. It helps with symptoms of irregular heartbeats and will calm heart palpitations.
• It has been shown to posses antispasmodic effects and appears to inhibit acetylcholine and histaminem making it a natural antihistamine. It is also used as a sedative in natural medicine.
• Wild Dagga has a long history of being used as a smoking herb and an alternative to smoking cannabis.

Growing Orange Wild Dagga

Indoor Sowing: Spring and Early Summer.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Early Summer.

• Sow the seeds in spring or early summer.
• Fill seed trays with a finely sifted seedling mix comprised of equal parts potting soil and fine sand.
• Press the soil mixture down evenly and firmly. Water the soil mixture and let it drain.
• Sow the seed directly onto the damp surface of the medium and very lightly cover with the same mixture or with fine sand.
• Trays should be kept warm but not in direct sun and watered daily until the seedlings begin to emerge, at which point watering can be reduced to three or four times per week.
• Seedlings can be planted out into individual containers once they are large enough to handle.