Small suffruticose herb. Stems branched, erect. 30-40 cm high, rather slender, rounded-quadrangular, with short crisped eglandular retrorse hairs. Leaves oblong-ovate, thin-textured, 15-25 x 10-15 mm, often with small dusters of younger leaves in axils, gland-dotted above and below, with a sparse indumentum of very short eglandular hairs, cuneate, subentire to irregularly crenulate; petiole up to 3 mm. Flowers in cymose shortly pedunculate verticillasters forming a loose elongated spike; verticillasters up to 10-12-flowered. Pedicels erect-spreading, 3-7 mm. Calyx pale brown-green, narrow tubular, 7-8 mm long and c. 1.5 mm wide, finely ribbed with a very short eglandular indumentum; teeth equal, very narrow triangular, 2 mm, acuminate, pilose; tube somewhat vinous within throat. Corolla white c. 15 mm; tube c. 1 mm wide, exserted beyond calyx teeth. Stamens included under upper lip of carolla; thecae glabrous ± parallel. Nutlets c. 1.2 x 0.6 mm, brown, with a prominent V-shaped white attachment scar, scarcely trigonous, apically rounded.

Fl. Per.: June-September.

Type: [Kashmir] "Ad Hydaspidem" [Jhelum valley]. Falconer 1250 (K - n.v.).

Distribution: Endemic (?).

With reluctance, I have made a new combination for this species, thus making a total of 4 genera in which it has, at different times, been placed. Our species is rather anomalous in Micromeria on account of its large leaves and flowers, and is apparently better placed in Calamintha along with the eastern Himalayan "Calamintha longicaule (Wall. ex Benth.) Benth.". [the earliest basionym for this species is Thymus piperitus, but a combination under Calamintha has not been made]. The Pakistan/Kashmir specimens cited above had originally been determined - wrongly - as Calamintha longi-caule (cf. Stewart, l.c.).