YASIN J. NASIR

Shrub up to 120 cm tall. Stems and branches yellowish-green with dense stellate tomentum and prickly; prickles conical, up to 8 mm long, straight or curved, yellow. Leaves 3.5-8 x 2.5-6.5 cm, ovate to broadly ovate, sinuate, grayish-green dense stellately hairy, veins with a few prickles. Peduncles 10-20 mm long, often paired; one bearing bisexual flowers and the other a short raceme of (2-) 3-5 male flowers. Flowers purple-blue. Pedicel and calyx stellately tomentose and sparsely prickled. Calyx 6-7 mm long, often thickened in fruit. Corolla limb 3-3.5 cm broad; lobes triangular, 9-11 mm long, dense stellate-tomentose, sparsely so within. Anthers 5-6 mm long, elongated. Style and ovary glabrescent. Berry globose, 25-30 mm long, yellow. Seeds ± 2.5 mm broad, subreniform, minutely reticulate-rugose, pale- brown.

Fl. Per.: mostly throughout the year.

Neotype: Herb. J. Burser. Vol. ix, No. 20. UPS (KDC microfiche series no. 1064. 51:1.4), fide Hepper & Jaeger (Kew, Bull. 40, fined.).

Distribution: Iran, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Arabia, Pakistan and India.

Fairly common in the plains and the lower hills up to 1400 m. The plant parts are said to be medicinal, being used as a remedy for toothache, sore throats and in chest complaints.