Vern.: Neel Kanthi, Kharbanei.

I.C. Hedge

Annual (?) or short-lived perennial. Stems spreading or ascending, 10-25 cm, usually unbranched, with a sparse to dense eglandular indumentum of long villous multicellular hairs. Leaves rosette-forming or not, variable in size, up to 45 x 25 mm, obovate-spathulate to elliptic, entire to crenate, narrowed into petiole, entire to irregularly crenate, with multicellular eglan-dular hairs, thin-textured; petiole on basal leaves up to 20 mm; cauline leaves smaller than basal and decreasing up the stem. Inflorescence unbranched of up to 18 distant or approximating 8-12-flowered verticillasters. Calyx 2.5-4 mm with a similar indumentum to stem and with or without sessile oil globules, campanulate; teeth triangular lanceolate, acute, as long as tube; basally enlarged as nutlets mature. Corolla pink, bluish white to white, 5-6 (-8) mm, pilose; tube slender, shortly exserted from calyx lobes. Stamens usually included in corolla tube. Nutlets pale brown, transversely rugose with prominent ridges, c. 1.5 x 1 mm.

Fl. Per.: March-June.

Type: [India] Kumaon [Wall., Cat. 2031.3], R. Blinkwodh (El, K).

Distribution: E. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, NW India.

Superficially very similar to the following species, q.v. The two would be rewarding to study cytologically and under controlled growing conditions.

The type specimen of Ajuga parviflora is unusually densely villous in comparison with most examined gatherings.