Elsholtzia kachinensis Prain

Bongcheewin, B., Chantaranothai, P. & Paton, A., 2015, Elsholtzia (Lamiaceae) in Thailand, Blumea 59 (3), pp. 209-214 : 211

4. Elsholtzia kachinensis Prain — Fig. 1b, c

Elsholtzia kachinensis Prain (1904) 206; Mukerjee (1940) 92; Murata (1976) 184; Press (1982) 69;X.W. Li & Hedge (1994) 253. — Type: Muqim 81 (CAL photo, lectotype chosen here; isolectotype K (http://specimens.kew.org/ herbarium/K000881721, last acc. 16 Feb.2015 )), Myanmar,Sima, Kachin Hills, 1950 m, Dec. 1899 (not 1898 as labelled at K).

Aquatic herb. Stems prostate, green or purple at base, pilose. Leaves ovate, 1–3 by 0.8–2 cm, apex slightly acute, base broadly cuneate, margin serrate; upper surface sparsely pubescent on venation; lower surface glabrous with translucent dots; petioles c. 5 mm long. Inflorescence terminal, compact, adjacent verticils overlapping, or lax, verticils from adjacent nodes not overlapping, 3–8 mm apart, cylindrical, 2–8 cm long; bracts opposite-decussate, green, purplish at tip, broadly ovate, 3–5 by 4–5 mm, apex cuspidate, margin ciliate, glabrous on both sides; bracteoles absent. Calyx campanulate, 1.5–2 mm long at anthesis; tube slightly ventricose, 1–1.5 mm long, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; lobes subequal, triangular, densely glandular punctate outside, glabrous inside. Corolla lilac, dilate-tubular, 4–5 mm long; tube 3–4 mm long, slightly curving downwards, glabrous on both sides; lobes ovate, 1 mm long, margin slightly undulate, sparsely pubescent outside, glabrous inside; upper lip with ovate lobes, 1 mm long, margin slightly undulate; lower lip broadly ovate, 1.5 mm long. Stamens 4, exserted, glabrous. Style exserted. Nutlet 1–4, obovate, 2 mm long.

Distribution — China, Myanmar, Thailand (N: Chiang Mai; possibly introduced).

Vernacular names — Phak lern, Phak luean.

Ecology — Cultivated in home gardens or found by streams in disturbed forest, 500–1400 m altitude. Flowering and fruiting: October to December.

Specimens examined.Bongcheewin et al. 1017, 1020; Maxwell 96­1468;

Put 3478, 3881; Umpai 506.

Additional specimen seen. Muquim 48.

Notes — In 1898–1905, Prain was a superintendent at Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta ( Stafleu & Cowan 1983), therefore a collection housed at CAL is chosen as lectotype .

There are two inflorescence forms, compact and lax. At early anthesis, the inflorescence is short, 2–3 cm long, and compact. Later on, the central axis elongates rendering inflorescence lax. The compact inflorescence may appear secund on herbarium sheets because of pressed opposite-decussate broad bracts.

Figures

Fig. 1 a. Elsholtzia griffithii Hook.f. b. E. kachinensis Prain, compact inflorescence form; c. lax inflorescence form; d. E. stachyodes (Link) Raizada & Saxena.