Suffruticose clump-forming perennial, green to greyish white, with a woody rootstock to 3 cm in diameter. Stems many, ascending or erect, 15-30 cm, not or little branched, sometimes with creeping sterile short shoots, basally purplish and usually with scale-like cataphylls; indumentum variable, from sparsely pilose with short unbranched hairs to densely adpressed canescent with much-branched hairs; leaves distributed over stem. Leaves green to greyish white, ± broadly ovate, flabelliform or trullate, 3-10(-20) x 4-10(-20) mm, crenate, cuneate, apically rounded or obtuse; indumentum as on stem; petiole 2-8 mm; dusters of younger leaves often present in leaf axils. Inflorescence of terminal congested ovoid heads or sometimes with a distinct lower verticillaster. Bracts 7-9 mm, narrow linear-elliptic usually tinged violet. Calyx 8-11 mm, narrow tubular-obtriangular, with pilose or villous eglandular hairs and sessile oil globules; throat oblique; teeth clearly unequal longattenuate. Corolla 12-16 mm, violet-blue; tube included or somewhat exserted, curved. Nutlets oblong-ellipsoid, 2-2.5 x 0.8-1 mm, brown.

Fl. Per.: July-August.

Type: [USSR, Pamir Alai] Kavuk, 8-13,000 ped., ad glacies Schtschurowski et in trajectu Dschiptik [Dzhiptik], O. Fedtschenko (LE).

Distribution: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan.

A fairly distinctive high alpine plant growing in stony places, often near water, but varying greatly in leaf shape and the density and type of indumen-tum. I have found it impossible to separate, as do Soviet botanists, Nepeta kokanica and Nepeta pamirensis: the former with not or scarcely branched hairs, the latter with clearly branched hairs. With the material examined, the latter form (Nepeta pamirensis) is more common, but all transitions occur; some specimens, possibly from shady places, have little indumentum without any branched hairs and the leaves are larger than usual (e.g. the Swedish Expedition gatherings cited and some Giles Gilgit specimens). Wendelbo (l.c.) remarked that Nepeta kokanica grew in profusion on Tirich Mir from 3500-4500 m. The Tian Shan endemic Nepeta pseudokokanica Pojark. seems to be scarcely specifically different. See also comments about the following species Nepeta grata.