15. Aechmanthera Nees in Wall., Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3:87. 1832. DC., Prodr. 11:170. 1847; Benth. & Hook. f., Gen. Pl. 2: 1088. 1876; Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 4: 428. 1885.
KAMAL AKHTAR MALIK & ABDUL GHAFOOR
Small, villose shrubs with broadly elliptic, rugose, crenate, acute, viscid leaves. Flowers pale-violet or purplish, in sessile, congested or laxly borne clusters on trichotomous or monochasial panicle; bracts linear-oblong, as long as the calyx; bracteoles similar to but shorter than bracts. Calyx 5-lobed, lobes ± equal, linear, hairy. Corolla tube ventricose, glabrous outside, limb subequally 5-lobed, lobes obtuse, twisted. Stamens 4, all fertile, included; anthers ovate or oblong, bithecous, basally muticous, connective apiculate or not. Ovary bilocular, hairy in the upper part, each locule 4-6ovuled; style gradually thickened upwards, hairy, stigma linear-lanceolate. Capsule linear-oblong, 6-8 (-12)-seeded. Seeds discoid, hairy or glabrous, on hooked retinacula.
A very small genus of c. 3 species, confined to Himalayan mountains of Pakistan, India, Nepal and China. Represented by 1 native species in Pakistan.
