Suffruticose aromatic herb. Stems several, erect, 20-50 cm, arising from a thick woody rootstock, quadrangular, branched or not, with a ± dense indumentum of long spreading, usually at stem base, or short retrorse eglandular hairs and sessile glands, leafy. Leaves ± broad ovate, 12-20 x 10-15 mm, ± rugose with prominent nervation, broad truncate to cordate, crenate; petiole on lower leaves up to 20 mm, decreasing up the stem. Inflorescence spicate; spikes terminal, continuous or basal verticillasters distant; verticil-lasters ± sessile or on short peduncles. Inner bracts narrow elliptic stipitate, acuminate-setaceous, shorter than calyces. Pedicels 1-1.5 mm. Calyx 7-10 mm, tubular, curved, densely eglandular or glandular-pilose with scattered oil globules; mouth clearly oblique; teeth unequal, 1/3-1/2 length of tube, trian-gular at base, softly spinulose. Corolla c. 12 mm, pale-lilac, pink or creamy-brown; tube scarcely exserted. Nutlets c. 1.7 x 0.9 mm, dark brown, oblong-ellipsoid, depressed tuberculate, with a prominent angled areole, c. 1/3 length of nutlet.

Fl. Per.: April-July.

Holotype: [NW India] Syen Range and Mussooree, Royle (K!).

Distribution: Pakistan, Kashmir, NW India.

With the material now available, there seems no reason to maintain Nepeta distans, Nepeta mollis and Nepeta prainii as separate species as Mukerjee (l.c.) did.