Vern.: "Bo-i-Madaran".

I.C. Hedge

Suffruticose intricately branched rigid herb. Stems, at least in summer, with few leaves, 15-30 cm tall, with a dense indumentum of very short eglandular hairs and numerous sessile oil globules. Leaves linear-oblong, crenulate, flat to convolute at margins, 5-10 x 1-3 mm, darkish green, below with eglandular pilose hairs and numerous sessile oil globules; petiole short, 2-8 mm. Inflorescence usually few-flowered (in our material), unbranched; verticillasters 2-4-flowered, approximating. Bracts and bracteoles present. Pedicels up to 3.5 mm in fruit and recurved. Calyx tubular in flower, c. 3.5 mm and 5 mm in fruit, with very long spreading tangled eglandular hairs and numerous sessile oil glands; teeth of upper and lower lips shortly mucronate. Corolla pale lilac or purple with darker markings on lower lip, c. 6 mm long; tube straight c. 4 mm, ± annulate; upper lip shorter than lower, straight. Lower theca fertile; staminodes distinct. Nutlets smooth, black, ovoid-trigonous, 1.5 x 1 mm.

Fl. Per.: March-April.

Type: Oman, ad radices montium regni Mascatensis, Aucher-Eloy 5210 (holo. G!; iso. W!).

Distribution: Oman, S-Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan.

Similar to Salvia santolinifolia, but more intricately and divaricately branched and with very few leaves.