Dwarf perennial with a slender rhizome. Stems 5-10 cm ascending or procumbent, with short white eglandular hairs, purplish. Leaves imbricate at least above, reniform to orbicular, 5-8 x 10-15 mm, crenate, truncate or broad cuneate, white eglandular tomentose on both surfaces; venation often purplish; petiole on lower leaves to 1 cm, less above. Flowers on short peduncles, few or solitary in leaf axils, sessile. Bracts linear-filiform, 6-8 mm. Calyx 10 mm, green, ± straight, white-villous with eglandular hairs, slightly bilabiate; teeth of lower lip c. 4 mm, narrow linear, acuminate; teeth ± erect after anthesis; tube glabrous within or with few pilose hairs. Corolla white, c. 20 mm with a very slender tube c. 11 mm long and a narrow infundibuliform upper part; lips very short, c. 2-2.5 mm.

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Type: [India, Kinnaur] Kanaour, ann. 1832, Boyle (holo. K!).

Distribution: Kashmir, NW India, Tibet (?).

Clearly different in several characters from the previous species, but similar in habit and also apparently restricted to scree-like habitats up to the limits of vegetation. Herbarium material of both species from our area is inadequate. Field observations are needed to establish whether the flowers are regularly or only occasionally resupinate in our species.

The type specimen of Marmoritis rotundifolia is far from ideal and only a few poor floral parts are present. Bentham, 15 years after his original description of the genus, reduced it On De Candolle’s Prodromus 12:391. 1848) to a synonym of Nepeta sect. Glechoma. Later, Hooker On Flora British India 4: 662. 1885) had it as a synonym of Nepeta floccose - even though the former is the earlier name - remarking " Nepeta rotundifolia (Marmoritis) is founded on imperfect specimens of Nepeta floccose". However, despite the inadequate type specimen there is little doubt that it is the same as Nepeta thibetica and thus Marmoritis rotundifolia is the earliest name for the species and, when one accepts it, the genus.