POGOSTEMON

Pogostemon Desf., Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 2: 154. 1815; Benth. in DC., Prodr. 12: 151. 1848; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 631. 1885; Briquet in Engl. & Prantl. Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 1,4, 3 A: 328. 1897; Mukherjee, Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 14, 1: 66. 1940; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 404. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Fl. China @ eFloras.org 17: 258; Hedge, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 275.

Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, aromatic or not, glabrous or covered by simple eglandular hairs. Leaves opposite or whorled, petiolate or subsessile, linear to ovate, subentire to serrate, +/- hairy. Verticillasters 6-many-flowered, congested or distant, in terminal spikes, thyrses or panicles. Bracts and bracteoles linear to ovate, persistent. Flowers small or very small, white to purplish. Calyx tubular, campanulate to ovoid, not or scarcely 2-lipped, teeth 5, subequal; tube glabrous at throat. Corolla limb nearly 2-lipped, upper lip 3- lobed, lower lip entire, as long as to slightly longer than upper, all lobes+/- equal. Stamens 4, subequal or anterior pair longer, straight or declinate; filaments with usually long purplish hairs (bearded) at middle or near base , thecae unilocular, cell apex dehiscent. Style apically deeply 2-lobed. Nutlets ovoid, globose to oblong, smooth, slightly flattened.

93 species

Pogostemon benghalensis

Pogostemon benghalensis (Burm. f.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 529. 1891; Nair, Fl. Bashahr. Himal. 226. 1977; Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vas. Pl. W. Pak. & Kashm. 629. 1972; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu 258. 1981; Hedge, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 276; Pogostemon plectranthoides Desf., Ann. Mus. Paris 2: 155. 1815; Graham, Bot. Mag. 60: t. 3238. 1833; Benth. in DC., Prodr. 12: 151. 1848; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 632. 1885; Mukherjee, Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 14, 1: 69. 1940; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 387. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Parker, For. Fl. Punj. 408. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Kaur & Sharma Fl. Sirmaur 518. 2004.

An aromatic gregarious undershrub, 1-1.5 m high. Stem erect, quadrangular, often purplish, tomentose with short eglandular hairs. Leaves opposite, simple; leaf blade 7-17 cm x 4-10 cm, ovate, margin serrate, rounded or cuneate at base, acute to acuminate, abaxially pubescent and gland-dotted; petiole 1.3-5 cm long, pubescent. Flowers sessile, bisexual, zygomorphic, hypogynous, 7-10 mm long, white tinged with pink in 6-12-flowered verticillasters, congested in axillary or terminal, stout cylindrical panicled spikes, spikes 2-2.5 cm long; peduncle and inflorescence axis quadrangular, densely pubescent. Bracts 7-8 mm x 4 mm, foliaceous, broadly ovate, often purplish, imbricate, acute, softly hairy and gland-dotted. Bracteoles of various sizes, +/- 5 mm long, mostly linear lanceolate, curved, pubescent. Calyx ca. 4 mm long, tubular, pubescent, gland-dotted without; tube ca. 3 mm long; teeth 5, subequal, lanceolate, acute. Corolla white tinged with pink, ca. 10 mm long; tube ca. 7 mm long, curved, narrow cylindric, 0.5 mm in diameter, nearly 2x longer than calyx; limb 2-lipped, shortly glandular hairy without; upper lip 3-lobed, middle lobe longer and narrower than 2 lateral broader obtuse lobes; lower lip shorter than the upper, ovate-oblong, acute, entire. Stamens 4, exserted, didynamous; 2 anterior longer, ca. 8 mm long, hairy at the point of attachment with petals; 2 shorter, ca. 6 mm long; all filaments purple and bearded with purple-pink hairs in the middle; anthers ca. 0.3 mm long, thecae very small and circular, 1-locular, anther cells confluent. Disk symmetrical.

Nutlets small, ca. 0.9 mm x 0.6 mm, broadly ellipsoid, shining, dark brown when ripe. (Fruits not observed)

Flowering and Fruiting: July to October
Common Names: Bengal Pogostemon, Cockspur patchouli; Phangal Kali Suhali, Ishwar Jatta (Hindi)