Vern.: "Ghara Butai" (Pushtu).

I.C. Hedge

Shrub up to 1 m, aromatic. Stems much branched to 80 cm, bare woody parts to 4 mm in diameter; herbaceous parts with eglandular spreading or retrorse hairs below, above with a fairly dense indumentum of villous eglandular hairs, short capitate-glandular, often black-headed, hairs and a few or no sessile oil globules. Leaves rather few, usually on short lateral shoots, broadly ovate to almost orbicular, 1-1.5 x 1-1.5 cm, ± truncate, crenulate to crenate, below with eglandular villous and glandular hairs and numerous sessile oil globules; petiole up to 20 mm, vinous. Inflorescence inconspicuous, few-flowered; verticillasters 1-2-flowered, distant. Bracts c. 5 x 2 mm, deciduous. Pedicels up to 5 mm, erect-spreading. Calyx tubular-campanulate, c. 10 mm long, not elongating in fruit, with a dense indumentum of capitate glandular hairs, usually black-headed, some villous eglandular hairs and some sessile oil globules; upper lip of 3 equal short teeth. Corolla bluish violet, sometimes white, 18-25 mm long; tube c. 15 mm straight, incompletely annulate c. 5 mm from base; upper lip straight, shorter than lower, externally with very short capitate glandular hairs. Lower theca ± fertile, smaller than upper. Nutlets c. 3 x 2.5 mm, subspherical, with reticulate venation, brown.

Fl. Per.: April-May (-August).

Type: [Afghanistan] in regno Cabulico, Griffith 471 (K!).

Distribution: E. Afghanistan, Pakistan (Baluchistan).

A very distinct species on account of the shrubby habit, the leafy lateral shoots, the small round leaves and the short few-flowered inflorescences. Apparently locally frequent, but not widespread in Pakistan. Usually growing in dry rocky places.