Leonotis leonurus

Southern African shrub with striking orange whorls of flowers whose dried leaves are smoked as a mild, calming euphoriant — sometimes described as a gentler, more grounded cousin of cannabis.

Drought-tolerant perennial of grassland and rocky slopes across southern Africa.

• Smoked or brewed as tea by Khoekhoe, Hottentot, and Zulu peoples as a mild relaxant and snakebite remedy

Often confused linguistically with Cannabis ('dagga' is the southern-African word for both), but pharmacologically distinct — its activity is centered on the diterpene leonurine and related compounds rather than cannabinoids.