Leonotis nepetifolia (Lion’s Ear)

Native to Africa and the Indian subcontinent, this annual or short-lived perennial herb commonly grows three to ten feet tall. Its upright stem branches at the nodes and carries broad, toothed leaves with hairy surfaces. Rounded whorls of flowers are separated by long sections of stem. Orange blossoms project from persistent, sharply toothed calyces, and the upper flower lip is woolly. Small dry nutlets develop after flowering. The species has been introduced widely beyond its native range. Photographed in Colombia.